Daniel Ryan McLean

Daniel Ryan McLean, age 68, of Beaverton, Oregon passed away Wednesday, May 22, 2024 of natural causes following an extended illness. The loving support of friends, family members, and compassionate caregivers allowed Dan to remain engaged in life and devoted to his community through his final days.

Dan was born in Medford, Oregon in 1955, and moved to Beaverton, Oregon in 1964. He briefly attended Barnes Elementary School before moving to William Walker Elementary School in 1965. During his early years, Dan developed an interest in music, and learned to play the cornet. He also developed a lifelong love for the outdoors, spending summers tent camping with his family in the forests of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Dan was an industrious youth, holding down an early morning paper route and picking strawberries to earn spending money.

Dan excelled at leadership as a student at Sunset High School in Beaverton. He served as student body president in 1973, and was the state student advisor to the Oregon Board of Education at that time. He enjoyed being on the debate team and earned several scholarships, which allowed him to attend Occidental College in Los Angeles, California following high school graduation in 1973.

At “Oxy” Dan focused on political science, earning his bachelor of arts degree in 1977. The next year, his trajectory toward a law degree was interrupted as he adjusted to a diagnosis of schizophrenia, a brain disorder that can cause delusions, hallucinations, and trouble with thinking. His diagnosis was later modified to schizoaffective disorder, to include mood disorder symptoms. Even as he faced these challenges, Dan’s personal drive and intellect remained intact. He continued to be gainfully employed, and pursued a certificate from Portland Community College in 1993, which qualified him to become a legal assistant.

Dan worked diligently to overcome the challenges posed by both mental illness and addiction, and directed his energy toward eliminating social stigma around mental health issues. In 1996 he began working as a peer counselor at a federally funded center for the mentally ill. He also represented community members in the development of the Portland Police Bureau’s Crisis Intervention Team around that time. He remained politically active throughout his life, communicating with his elected representatives on a regular basis.

Ultimately, Dan achieved a sense of equilibrium and sobriety that allowed him to complete a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree at Portland State University in 2005. For the rest of his life he worked as a healthcare professional at residential behavioral health centers in the Portland area, offering personal insight and compassionate care for people working to recover from mental illness. He also maintained strong personal connections to the recovery community in Portland and Beaverton, beginning his 32nd year of sobriety in early 2024. In December of 2023, Dan’s declining health forced him to retire from his work, despite his desire to keep going.

Dan was active in the First United Methodist Church of Beaverton.

He is survived by his sister, Norma McLean Gregor of Beaverton; brother Terry R. McLean (Annin Barrett) of Beaverton; dear friend Pam of Beaverton; and several nieces and a nephew. He was predeceased by his parents, Theodore R. and Joyce Anne McLean.

Private burial at Skyline Memorial Gardens.

A Celebration of Life will be held Friday, June 14 at 2 pm, at the First United Methodist Church of Beaverton. Address: 12555 SW 4th Street, Beaverton, Oregon.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Dan’s honor may be sent to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) https://www.nami.org/, or the Alano Club of Portland https://www.portlandalano.org/home.