Richard Stuart McLain

He was born in Oklahoma City on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1957, to Robert Terry “RT” McLain and Janet Lee (Williams) McLain. He was the second of five sons.

Richard graduated from Casady School in 1976 and received a BA in business from Duke University in 1980. He earned his JD from the OU School of Law in 1983 and was admitted to the Oklahoma Bar. He felt that the discipline of Law School prepared him well for a life in business.

Richard married Karen Elizabeth Sledge on May 29, 1982, twenty days after she graduated from Duke. Rich and Karen were married for almost 44 years. They had three children and four grandchildren.

During his early years, Rich lived in the Village and then in Quail Creek. He attended newly opened Quail Creek Elementary and Herbert Hoover Jr. High. He spent hours on his bike exploring the neighborhood and creek with brothers and paternal cousins. The family lived on the 8th hole of Quail Creek Golf and Country Club where Rich first learned to play golf. When the ponds would freeze over, Rich and friends would go ice skating. For a few summers, Rich loved his five-week sessions at Kamp Kanakuk in Missouri with brothers and maternal cousins. His upbringing was greatly influenced by both sets of grandparents: Vivian and Maynard “ML” McLain, and Jennie and Walter Lee Williams.

Rich’s family moved to Nichols Hills before high school. He liked living close to Casady School where he excelled in academics and spent four years playing soccer with brothers and cousins and developing life-long friendships. A huge highlight was a month-long summer 1973 soccer trip to England with Coach David Gorham. While in Europe, Rich and older brother Tom traveled to Moy Castle on the Isle of Mull in Scotland, which is the ancestral home of the Clan MacLaine of Lochbuie. Rich’s extended McLain family still takes great pride in being a part of the ancient Scottish Clan.

While a teenager, Rich became certified in SCUBA and in 1974, took an adventurous trip with his father and brothers to dive off the island of Roatan, Honduras. They did night diving and technical dives of over 200 feet, a depth that is no longer recommended.

At Duke University, Rich was an excellent student and enjoyed his business and computer science courses. Rich was active in the Eta Prime Chapter of Kappa Sigma Fraternity, played intramural sports, and attended as many Duke football and basketball games as possible. During the summer of 1979 before senior year, Rich and two fraternity brothers took a monthlong backpacking trip through Europe, guided by the popular book “Europe on $5 a Day.”

Rich met his wife, Karen, at Duke in October 1978 through mutual friend Michele O’Neill Anderson and in January 1979 had their first date at a Kappa Sigma “Saturday Night Live” themed costume party. They had great fun at the Greek parties where they danced until the very end of the evenings. When Rich gave Karen a Kappa Sigma lavalier (a traditional promise gift), he had to endure the fraternity tradition of “streaking” along the entire distance of the residential quad, surrounded by a mob of brothers who protected his modesty. Rich and Karen lived in Norman during their first year of marriage while Rich completed his final year of Law School.

Richard was a dedicated worker. For his first job at age 14, he drove a combine during wheat harvest in Spearman, Texas. Along with older brother Tom, he stayed with their father’s cousin, “Uncle” Don McLain, who was the patriarch of the farming and ranching branch of the family. The wheat harvest was a sun-up-to-sun-down, six days a week job. After showering at the end of the day, dinner was served at 10:30pm. The routine was: eat dinner while watching Johnny Carson, get up before sunrise, harvest wheat, repeat. On Sundays they would attend church, ride horses, swim in the pond, or go hunting or frog gigging.

After Law School, Rich and his brothers worked at Bunte Candies, owned by their father since 1963. The candy factory’s manufacturing operation was in a 7-story building located just east of the railroad tracks at 9 E Sheridan Ave, between E Main St and E California Ave. The buildings east of the factory to N Oklahoma Ave were candy warehouses. Bunte was a general-line candy company, producing orange slices, jellybeans, gum drops, saltwater taffy, marshmallow Easter eggs, and all sorts of hard candies, including the wrapped starlight mints for Sonic Drive-In. Rich was the quality control director and later production manager. Rich and Tom’s favorite task was taste-testing for Quality Assurance in the chocolate department. Bunte grew dramatically in an 8-year period with the growth of big box retail stores. At its peak, Bunte employed over 500 people. The family sold the company on March 30, 1990, but kept the Bricktown city block that they valued and that the buyer said was “worthless.”

In 1991, Rich and family created a new investment company, the Mull Corporation, named after the ancestral home in Scotland. The endeavors included McLain Business Park, Casady Square shopping center, BPS Security, Tee One Up, and Golf USA, where Rich was the President of the International Parent Franchise and served on its Board of Directors. The Mull Corporation opened the wildly popular country line-dancing hall named “In Cahoots” on S Meridian (now “Cowboys OKC”), which featured a mechanical bull and many varied performers such as Willie Nelson and The Village People. The most significant venture of the Mull Corporation was the founding of the Bricktown Brewery at 1 N Oklahoma Ave, the first brew pub in Oklahoma since the end of prohibition. The Brewery was in one of the old Bunte candy warehouses. Upstairs, it featured a “virtual reality alley,” golf simulators, shuffleboard, darts and billiards. It hosted many bands, such as the Doobie Brothers and Men at Work, in its large parking lot. The Mull Corporation continued to develop the city block until they sold it in 2005. The family entered the home rehabbing and rental businesses with Mull Properties and later RSM Properties. Rich owned a HomeVestors® franchise from 2003-2025 and received the Lifetime Achievement Award. He was managing broker for Mull Real Estate and mentored his son-in-law, Stephen Blake. He appreciated his loyal office staff, Kim Coates and Joann Williams, and bookkeeper Denise Wolf.

From 1993-1996, Rich was appointed by Mayor Ron Norick to serve on the Bricktown Urban Design Committee for its first few years, helping to shape Bricktown into what it is today. He also served on the Bricktown Association Board of Directors, including as Vice-President.

Rich was chosen to participate in Leadership OKC in 2001-2002. From 2003-2006, he was a Leadership OKC mentor for “YLX” Youth Leadership Exchange. Rich also volunteered and served with various nonprofits such as The Education and Employment Ministry “TEEM” and Skyline Urban Ministry.

Rich served on the Board of Directors of Upward Transitions, which provides homeless prevention and intervention services. Rich and his family were attending an Upward Transitions fundraising event the evening his first grandchild was born. When the phone call came, they all jumped up from the table and drove straight to the hospital.

Rich served on the Organizational Committee to re-open Nichols Hills Elementary School in 1993-1994. The school had been shuttered for 11 years. Rich was a part of the initial Nichols Hills Elementary School Curriculum Committee in 1994 and served on the first PTA Board as Secretary in 1994-1995. Rich’s daughters Laura and Mary had the wonderful experience of attending this completely remodeled school where Rich’s mother had attended many years earlier.

Rich loved Duke basketball and attended three of Duke’s national championship games. He also enjoyed OU football and Thunder basketball. He attended the first Hornets game in 2005 when OKC hosted NBA basketball for the first time.

A long-time member of Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club, Rich loved playing golf with his best friends and relaxing poolside with his children and grandchildren. A few years ago, he joined the Chops golf group and met new competitors. Favorite golf trips were Pebble Beach with his father, Spyglass, TPC Sawgrass, Mauna Kea, Koele on Lanai, the Broadmoor, Castle Pines, and Mayakoba.

Rich participated in two annual golf tournaments in Las Vegas: the Spring Interclub organized by OCGCC pro Tim Fleming; and the Fall Tournament organized by Mike McCoy, which Rich attended for 20 years with mostly the same guys. The group relished dinners at some of the best steakhouses in Vegas where they told the same stories year after year and enjoyed every minute of it.

From 1993-2001 Rich was an active leader in Cub Scouts and Boy Scout Troop 193. He served as Den Leader and Cub Master during Cub Scouting, then on the Troop Committee, Board of Review, and Friends of Scouting, as Stuart progressed from Tiger Cub to Eagle Scout. Rich especially enjoyed the high-adventure Canoe Base and Sea Base trips with Stuart, among many other epic camping trips.

Rich supported all three children at Casady volleyball games and attended dozens of dance recitals, musicals, and choir and orchestra concerts. He had the joy of experiencing both daughters’ choirs - Laura when a freshman at Rhodes College in the fall of 2006 and Mary when a freshman at Casady School in the spring of 2007 - performing at Carnegie Hall.

Countless weeks were spent at Grand Lake over decades; golfing, playing games, stargazing and spotting the space station, fishing, boating, and water skiing with children, then grandchildren. At age 66, Rich could still show off his slalom ski abilities. The family enjoyed snow ski trips, especially Crested Butte. They had memorable camping and caving adventures. Several locations in Mexico were favorite destinations, where the guys enjoyed diving and the family enjoyed beach activities and cultural explorations.

Rich was delighted to become “Granddad” and enjoyed reading to his grandchildren, sharing his guitar, and playing soccer in the yard.

Richard had great faith. He attended Duke Chapel with Karen during college and was baptized the evening before their wedding. Rich and Karen were blessed to be a part of two church families. They were members at Nichols Hills United Methodist Church for 40 years. They joined All Souls’ Episcopal Church several years ago, where Rich especially appreciated the Men’s Thursday Breakfast Prayer Group, Men’s Dinners, and Rector’s Forum. Rich derived much meaning and comfort from Father Yoder’s home visits during the last few months.

Richard was “rich” in family and friends. He spent quality time with his wife, children, and grandchildren during his final months. He cherished the frequent visits of devoted church family, extended family, and dear friends.

Richard leaves behind his loving wife, Karen; three children: Stuart Forbes McLain (Emily), Laura Elizabeth McLain (Holmes Paschall), Mary Louise McLain Blake (Stephen); and four grandchildren: Caroline Elizabeth McLain, Jack Forbes McLain, Frederick Robert “Freddy” Blake, Amelia Louise Blake.

Rich is also survived by brothers Thomas McLain (Janet), Michael McLain, Scott McLain (Janet); brother-in-law Bradford Sledge (Melinda); twelve nieces and nephews; and many close cousins.

Rich was predeceased by his parents, and by brother Charles “Chuck” McLain.

Heartfelt thanks to Integris Cancer Institute, Integris Hospice, and Laura Lynn’s Home Care.

Funeral and interment will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 22nd, at All Souls’ Episcopal Church.

For memorials, please consider: All Souls’ Episcopal Church, Casady School, and Upward Transitions.