Robert Ludlow Maclean

Robert (Bob) MacLean was a gentle soul. He was a quiet man who was thoughtful and serious, but who entertained us with his sense of humor. Bob was born in Portland, Oregon in 1924. At a young age his family moved to Alaska where his father Russell Merrill was a pioneering bush pilot who unfortunately went missing with his plane in 1927. Bob grew up on Mercer Island and was a passionate sailor from a young age. He enlisted in the Navy during WWII and trained flying dive bombers off of air craft carriers but fortunately the war ended before he was put into action. He went to the U of W and received a bachelor’s in engineering. He went on to work at Todd Shipyards and Boeing.

Nevertheless, he never forgot his dream of being a full time sail maker and in his 50s he started a sail making business. Sailing was an important part of his life and he was a successful competitor in the Thunderbird, Star and other boat fleets. He was a member of Corinthian Yacht Club. We have fond memories of the summers the family spent cruising in the San Juan Islands.

Robert is preceded by his loving wife Margery. They met at a Mountaineering ski lodge and shared many activities such as skiing, boating, church activities and gardening. They have four girls and 2 grandsons.

Dad was a religious person and an active member of the church: first at the University Baptist Church, then Mercer Island Presbyterian and finally at Covenant Shores. He was an avid reader and student of the bible.

He was diagnosed with celiac disease before it was well known about. This improved his health and he was a chairman of the Gluten Intolerance Group in its early years.

Dad inspires us a lifelong learner. He went back the University to take psychology classes in his 60s. Soon later he took on the project of writing a book about his bush pilot father. The book was entitled “Flying Cold” and was coauthored by Sean Rossiter and published by Epicenter Press. Dad was asked to speak many places about his book including the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum in Anchorage and the Boeing Museum of Flight. The book is in many libraries across the country.

Bob passed peacefully on March 17th at Covenant Shores Assisted Living on Mercer Island. Services will be held April 2nd at 1pm, Covenant Shores 9150 Fortuna Drive, Mercer Island. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to mercycorps.org.

Our dad was a special person loved by many. We are grateful to have had him as our father.

Biography written by Janet, Joan, Ann and Kathy