Very rarely will you meet the kind of person that leaves you totally in awe of what they have accomplished, what they offer others and how they handle the massive lemons life throws their way. We all struggle with the challenges we get dealt. It takes grace, perseverance and courage to overcome and excel in a way that leads to a meaningful life which is regarded as an inspiration. Jennifer Hoerig Cline quite literally is a woman who has accomplished this more than once in her life.
She is one of the few people I know, other than my own parents, that I can in all sincerity say is beautiful both inside and out. This is the highest praise I can give anyone. In her own words Jennifer was never a handy girl when it came to repairs around the house. Until one fine day when she decided to convert her husband, Gary’s archery stand (used to practice shooting arrows) into a gardening storage shed. She hauled out all the tools and materials she thought she might need. “Extension cords, saw-horses,” she said. “Here I am ready to work and then I couldn’t even get the miter saw open.”
She started talking out loud to Gary praying for guidance at an overwhelming time in her life. While he is not here in person, Gary seems to have been guiding Jennifer all along. A sense of calm overcame her, and she figured out how to open the safety lock on the miter saw. “It actually turned out really good for not having a clue!” she stated with a little chuckle at her first major project.
Gary Cline passed in 2008 at the time he had been remodeling the living room in their circa 1818 Charlestown farmhouse. Afterwards, many Kent State maintenance colleagues (my father Lonnie Scarlett included) came and helped her finish the previously gutted living room. The loss of a spouse or loved one is no small lemon. The course of her life and that of her children’s (Justine Chapman and Cameron Cline) was permanently changed.
“Thank God for them and a family friend, Jake Miller, who all came and fixed things. Honestly, I was in such a state. I was glad to have them come in and do stuff. I was not at the point in my life where I could learn anything,” Jennifer said reflecting on this trying time. “After some time had passed, I looked around and thought there is stuff that needs done. It wasn’t until I drug things out and tried to do it on my own that I started to learn,” she said with pride.
In September 2016 her friend Ben, a police officer, asked her to create a “Thin Blue Line” flag for him because he knew she had become a handy woman. The phrase refers figuratively to the position of police in society as the force which holds back chaos. Jennifer, a slim, big-eyed brunette who you would think is the girl next door with a touch of supermodel haute couture, took on the challenge! “The first flag I made didn’t look like it was in proportion to me. So, I hung it in my office and asked officers to sign it. It was a mistake, but it’s my favorite now! For me it’s a metaphor for life, even mistakes can have a good outcome!”
She later made a flag to be raffled off and that is how her side hobby, Blessed are the Peacemakers 5.9, got started with friends wanting to order for the flags. Every evening and weekend basically not stop for two years she was letting her creativity be her therapy. If you look at her Instagram account you will see various pictures of her creations 9/11 Never Forget, 1776 Independence, custom pieces for various local police departments, flags in honor of those who have passed and even canines that had been killed in the line of duty. “Part of my heart goes into each flag with a message of gratitude, scripture or music lyrics.” The price ranges, but they start at $100 and take 3-4 hours to make depending on detail.
The world of woodwork as a creative outlet has led Jennifer down some amazing roads. She credits it to having grabbed Gary’s yellow DeWalt power drill for a picture she was entering in the national DeWalt “Show Us Your Tough” contest in Summer 2017. The idea was to submit a photo that told a story of how you used DeWalt tools. She won the grand prize with a picture of her proudly displaying three different sized thin blue line flags made from pallets.
She won an all-expenses paid trip to Las Vegas in November 2017. It included a limo, a stay at the Monte Carlo, a special silver belt buckle, a 6-piece tool set, tickets to the Professional Bull Riding finals at the T-Mobile Arena (where the contestants were sponsored by DeWalt) and access to the VIP luncheon where she presented them with smaller flags as gifts. She and Justine also got to see the 1980s band Warrant perform during the pre-show.
Jennifer loved the experience so much she was determined to attend in 2018. While DeWalt did not run the contest again they did ask her back as their guest along with both her children. Also, in August 2019 she was asked to attend a NASCAR event at the Michigan International Speedway where she got to meet driver Erik Jones.
She was nicknamed Miss DeWalt by police officers from work which she has whole-heartedly embraced. “It started off as a joke and I decided to just own it,” she said enthusiastically. In her former job as a Grand Jury Coordinator she met officers and first responders who she feels along with veterans and those in Military service deserve to be honored.
Miss DeWalt has overcome and achieved so much which she accredits to faith in God and love from family and friends. Her skills are viewable on many different social media platforms especially TikTok where she shows off a fun personality apparent in the aesthetic of the videos regularly themed to music, done in costume or as a parody to a movie. The Peanuts, Rosie the Riveter, Jack and Rose from Titanic mixed with “Keep the change you filthy animal” from Home Alone, a baby Yoda Star Wars ornament with her dressed as Princess Leia and the repurposing of a couch she found along the side of the road (which incidentally got 14 million views) are just a few examples of her short videos highlighting the various DIYs she makes showing how fun and simple it can be for someone new to using tools.
You can find her fabulous creations on TikTok at MissDeWalt@jennifer.cline. YouTube under Miss DeWalt and Instagram is @missdewalt and @blessedarethepeacemakers5.9.
