A well-known Oak Harbor businessman and active member of the sailboating community was killed in a car accident near Freeland Monday morning.

The State Patrol reported that 49-year-old Scott Cline was driving a 2001 Dodge Dakota north on Mutiny Bay Road and ran a stop sign at the intersection with Bush Point Road. He was struck by a 1999 Toyota car driven by 70-year-old Charlotte Tanner of Riverside, Calif.

Cline’s pickup rolled, coming to a rest on its top. He was not wearing a seat belt and was pronounced dead at the scene.

An ambulance crew transported Tanner to Whidbey General Hospital with minor injuries.

Cline’s family is planning a small, private memorial service on the water Saturday. It will be followed by a potluck memorial at 3 p.m. at the Oak Harbor Yacht Club. Everyone is invited.

“He would have wanted a celebration of his life,” his wife Helen Cline said.

Friends and family say Cline was one of those people who everyone seemed to know and like.

“I’ve gotten calls from virtually all over the world since the accident,” Helen said. “He touched a lot of lives.”

Cline had close ties to Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island. He was born on Whidbey Island and lived in Oak Harbor, off and on, for many years. His parents retired to the city. His father, Ray, died a few months ago and his mother, Shirley, remains in Oak Harbor. His brother John Cline lives on North Whidbey.

Cline and his wife raised their son John in Oak Harbor. He’s 14 years old.

Father and son were very close. Helen said the two of them went on vacation in California this summer.

“They just had a blast,” she said. “They drove down and did guy stuff. Apparently they didn’t eat a vegetable the whole time.”

Cline was probably best known in the community for his painting business and his love of sailboats.

He owned Cline Painting, a successful business that he was passionate about. He painted Coupe’s Village, projects on the Navy base and did color consulting. Helen said he was especially proud of his restoration work on historic homes.

He and his wife met at the Oak Harbor Yacht Club, got married at the Yacht Club and were members of the Yacht Club. Both of their parents were long-time members of the club. Cline was named “sailing captain” at the club this year.

Dave French, Cline’s sailing buddy, said he and Cline worked to completely revitalize the Yacht Club’s sailing program over the last five years. This year’s spring racing series was the biggest ever. They helped start Oak Harbor Youth Sailing three years ago and taught many local teenagers to sail.

French said he talked his friend into buying a 30-foot sailboat a few years ago. Cline restored the Deuces Wild over the winter. This summer the two men raced the boat, with a crew of locals, in the famed Whidbey Island Race Week for the second year in a row.

“We finished middle of the fleet,” French said, “but we had a great time.”

French said he will remember Cline as an amazingly optimistic, happy person.

“He was really jovial, friendly guy,” he said. “He had lots and lots of friends. I think everyone liked Scott. He was one of the original party animals.”

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Oak Harbor Youth Sailing, C/O Dave French, 646 Wanamaker Road, Coupeville, WA, 98279 or go to www.ohyouthsailing.org.