Edith I. McClellan

(PLEASE SEE NOTE BELOW ABOUT DONATIONS IN LIEU OF FLOWERS.)

Edith I. McClellan of Springfield, Virginia, passed away peacefully on Saturday, June 7, 2014, at the Aarondale Retirement Community in Springfield, at the age of 96.

Edith – known to friends and family as "Jean" – was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, where she aspired to become an artist after high school and learned secretarial skills while attending business school. Although she never made a career as an artist, she continued to paint with oils and water colors during most of her life; and some of her finer pieces will continue to be treasured by successive generations.

Jean served for over three decades in the Federal Civil Service, principally as a secretary for medical, veterinary, and legal services in the U.S. Army and Air Force. Her assignments ranged from Fort Benjamin Harris, Indiana, to Fort Carson, Peterson Air Force Base, USAF Academy, and Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado. She was a life-long member of the Order of the Eastern Star.

Jean's passing was preceded by her husband Dr. Perry L. McClellan, a Florida Chiropractor, who had worked on the atomic bomb during World War II; and by her son, Perry L. McClellan, Jr., of Fargo, North Dakota, a U.S. Navy veteran and bank manager. Jean is survived by her son Robert A. McClellan of Thornton, Colorado, a U.S. Army veteran and retired computer specialist with the Denver Water Board; and by Freda Suzanne (Reed) Slawter of Springfield, Virginia, a veteran teacher with the Fairfax County Public Schools.

Jean is also survived by the following eight grandchildren and nine great grandchildren, listed by branch of the family (with the names of great grandchildren in parentheses) and [spouses listed in brackets]:

• Perry L. McClellan, [wife Margie]: grandson Perry L. McClellan III of West Fargo ND (great grandchildren Jessica and Jacob) and grandson John M. McClellan [wife Corinna] of San Antonio TX (great grandchildren Lauren and Julia)

• Robert A. McClellan [wife Bonnie]: grandson Jeffrey McClellan [wife Laurie] of Castle Rock CO, granddaughter Jennifer Mahaffey [husband Sean] of Thornton CO (great grandchildren Hailey and Brock), and grandson Robbie C. McClellan of Denver CO.

• Suzanne Slawter [husband Bruce]: granddaughter Shannon Slawter Legeer [husband Sean] of Silver Spring MD (great granddaughter Madelyn), granddaughter Kristen Slawter Hushour [husband Andrew] of Warrenton VA (great grandchildren Forrest and Gavin), and grandson Andrew B. Slawter [wife Kristen] of Boston MA.

Jean will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery this fall with a previous husband, U.S. Army SGT Verlon Reed, who passed away in 1967, shortly after returning from a tour of duty in Vietnam. A memorial service will take place at the Fort Meyer chapel just before internment. The date for the service and internment is yet to be determined.

NOTE: The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made "in memory of Jean McClellan" to any of the following charities:

• Vietnam Veterans of America (8719 Colesville Rd. Suite # 100, Silver Spring, MD 20910)

• Order of the Eastern Star (OES Tallahassee #119, c/o Linda Stokes, Secretary, 2124 Ten Hines Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32308)

• Endowment Fund of First Church of Christ, Scientist, Springfield, VA (5315 Backlick Road, Springfield, VA 22151)