UPDATE March 3

The much loved and well known owner of Full Tilt Ice Cream has died. He suffered a heart attack in February and remained in hospital until Saturday.

Cline was a community activist and innovator. He was a strong proponent of White Center since he opened Full Tilt there in 2008, expanding to five other locations around the city, opened a packing facility in South Park and offered his ice cream in retail stores. A GoFundMe campaign raised more than $55,000 to aid his family. He is survived by his wife Ann and two children.

Ashley Kestler, organizer of the original GoFundMe campaign shared these thoughts and details today

"It is with absolutely broken hearts that we share that our beloved friend Justin has moved on to the great ice cream shop in the sky. 

Justin died around 6:00 am on Saturday, March 2nd, 2024 at Valley Medical Center. At every step along the way, Valley staff did an incredible job monitoring and managing his ever-changing condition, and taking every possible step to give him excellent care. 

Ann, Moss and Ruby, their family and friends, and the entire staff and community of Full Tilt are grieving this loss. Justin will be missed by so many, because he touched so very many people in his life. The number of stories of connections and care that we have heard this past month has been incredible. We have loved hearing all the large and small ways that Justin’s open, giving nature has positively impacted the community as a whole and hundreds of individual lives.

Right now Ann and the kids are understandably distraught and overwhelmed with this tragedy. We understand that everyone wants to connect with Ann, share their memories and stories of Justin, and offer love and comfort. However, the community Justin built around himself is so large and deeply connected that we imagine the outpouring of love could become overwhelming for Ann. 

We have created a list of ways that the community can support Ann, Moss and Ruby in this time. 

* Continue giving to the GoFundMe to support Justin’s family during this time. Ann’s financial needs will only increase as she navigates this shift to single-parenting and keeping Full Tilt afloat. 
* Send your memories, stories, artworks, and photos of or inspired by Justin to justininmemoriam@gmail.com. We will be compiling the stories, photos, memories, artworks into a book for Ann and the kids. If possible, title your email “contribution” to help us manage the inbox. 
* Email justininmemoriam@gmail.com to offer any practical support you would like - either with your ideas for support you’d like to offer or an open offer for whatever Ann may need. Ann’s friends will be monitoring this inbox and will connect with Ann to see what kinds of supports are needed as time goes on. If possible, please title your email “support” to help us manage the inbox. 
* Continue to visit Full Tilt when you can. Every scoop you enjoy, every round of pinball, and every beer you share with a friend helps keep Justin’s family and employees going. 
* Hug your people and tell them you love them. 
* Consider ways you can support your community. Justin’s store, his heart, and his time were open for those who needed him. Our communities are better when we are community builders. 
* Get CPR certified. Ann was able to save Justin’s life the night of his heart attack because she knew how to perform CPR. A couple of hours of your time could save a life. https://cpr.heart.org/en/ or https://www.redcross.org/

We will share more information as services are planned and needs are realized. 

Thank you all for your love and support, for all you’ve done this past month and all you will continue to do to help hold Justin’s family, friends, Full Tilt family and community close. We all wish Justin were here to hug each and every one of you."

 

Original Post Feb. 18

Justin Cline, owner of Full Tilt Ice Cream, suffered a heart attack on Feb. 5 and remains in the hospital. A Go Fund Me page has been set up to assist him and his family as he recovers. 

Full Tilt opened in White Center in the summer of 2008 and since then Cline and company have expanded into retail and other locations around the Seattle area. 

The Go Fund Me page swiftly surpassed the $10,000 goal to more than $20,000 from more than 300 donors and has since been raised to $50,000.

Here's the text from the page.

On Feb. 5th our wonderful friend, involved community member and local business owner, Justin, woke his wife up in the middle of the night and told her to call 911. He was having a massive heart attack. He's been in the ICU since, and recovery has been slow. Justin and Ann give so much to our community, and as their friend, I can say they bring so much to the lives they touch. Let's return some of the love they've shown us!

If you don't know Justin, Ann and their two kiddos well or if you've never been to Full Tilt know that they are the kind of family that consistently donates their time, and heart to to the community. Recent examples of this were Full Tilt's Pints for Palestine wherein not only did FT donate profits for their Arabic Coffee ice cream pints, but donated entire days profits to the Palestinian Children's Fund. They've supported local families going through tragedy, and have fiercely showed their love for the business family in White Center. I met Ann over ten years ago when she and Justin volunteered FT to be the host of a diaper and formula drive when supplemental assistance was dramatically cut, and it was clear to me then, that this is how they roll. Giving is 1st nature to this family, and yet I know it can still be hard to ask. So I put this here, more of a reminder to Ann and Justin - that people want to help as a way of reflecting back to you, the kindness and goodness you've shared with them. Let us take joy in supporting you during this time.