Date of death: 9/5/2015
Saint Meinrad Class: O 1952
Cyril Klee, of Naples, Florida, and Bloomington, Indiana, died on September 5, 2015, with his goddaughter at his side. Born February 13, 1927, in Bloomington, Cy was the fifth of six children born to Joseph and Cecilia (Kluemper) Klee.Cy’s early school years were spent at St. Charles, where his parents worked as caretakers. Cy followed his brothers to St. Meinrad, and eventually graduated from Bloomington High School in 1945. Cy served his country in the U.S. Air Force during World War II and the Korean War. Hitch-hiking across the country, Cy attended UCLA on the G.I. bill. He returned to Bloomington and completed his business degree at Indiana University.Cy was the quintessential salesman with a southern charm (although “southern” in this case refers to southern Indiana). Cy began his sales career with Arvin Industries, selling car heaters to dealers throughout the Midwest. Cy’s work eventually took him to the Northwest Territories, the deep South, and New England. Cy concluded his sales career with the parts division of General Motors.A child of the depression, Cy was “as tight as paper on the wall,” but he knew how to enjoy the simple things in life. He loved tending his garden, fishing trips to Hamlin Lake, summer band concerts at IU, and those famous Naples sunsets. For years, Cy opened his home in Bloomington to graduate students at IU. Locals and international students alike shared Cy’s Hoosier hospitality and delicious tomatoes.Cy was preceded in death by his parents; brothers Herman, Rev. Joseph, and Raphael Klee; and by his sister, Alma Therese Klee, S.P. Cy is survived by his younger brother, Thomas Klee of Fort Wayne, Indiana; numerous nieces and nephews; and two stepsons.