Obituary for Kathleen T McLean (Taylor)
Kathleen T. McLean, 85, of Falmouth, Maine passed away while in hospice care at her son’s home in Gainesville, Virginia.
She was born October 27, 1937, in Dover, NH, to Everett Lewis and Rita Teresa (Garneau) Taylor. She and her family grew up on a small farm on Durham Road.
After graduating high school, she held a position as a computer keypunch operator. It was during her time in this position that she met the man who would become her husband, Edward A. McLean, who was a computer service technician for IBM. They were married on July 20, 1963.
In the early 1960s, they purchased property on Long Lake in Harrison Maine and stayed in a tent while her husband and father-in-law built the A-frame cabin which would become their home. After living there for a short while after the birth of their son, it became clear that the commute to Portland, Maine would be too long, so they initially moved to a small mobile home in Windham, Maine. After finding a plot of land in nearby Falmouth, they built the permanent home where they would spend the rest of their lives.
Kathy worked as a secretary at Blue Cross/Blue Shield in Portland, Maine, and slowly expanded her responsibilities and workload. By the time of her retirement after 30 years of work, managers said they had to hire three new workers to do the work that she did alone.
In her spare time, she helped her husband breed and raise German Shepherds but had a true love for the rescued Welsh Corgis that they would eventually own. She was also an avid entrepreneur, starting a decades-long Tupperware business.
She is survived by her son, Edward T. McLean, daughter-in-law Shana, and granddaughter; brothers George, Eddie, and Mark; sisters Lena Mae, Barbara, Mary Ellen, Rita; and many other members of her extended family.
Friends and family may call on Friday, January 13, 2023 from 10:00-11:00 am at Wiggin Purdy Funeral Home, 655 Central Ave., Dover, NH 03820. A funeral service will follow at 11:00 am at the funeral home with interment at Pine Hill Cemetery in Dover. To sign our online guestbook, please go to www.purdyfuneralservice.com
She was born October 27, 1937, in Dover, NH, to Everett Lewis and Rita Teresa (Garneau) Taylor. She and her family grew up on a small farm on Durham Road.
After graduating high school, she held a position as a computer keypunch operator. It was during her time in this position that she met the man who would become her husband, Edward A. McLean, who was a computer service technician for IBM. They were married on July 20, 1963.
In the early 1960s, they purchased property on Long Lake in Harrison Maine and stayed in a tent while her husband and father-in-law built the A-frame cabin which would become their home. After living there for a short while after the birth of their son, it became clear that the commute to Portland, Maine would be too long, so they initially moved to a small mobile home in Windham, Maine. After finding a plot of land in nearby Falmouth, they built the permanent home where they would spend the rest of their lives.
Kathy worked as a secretary at Blue Cross/Blue Shield in Portland, Maine, and slowly expanded her responsibilities and workload. By the time of her retirement after 30 years of work, managers said they had to hire three new workers to do the work that she did alone.
In her spare time, she helped her husband breed and raise German Shepherds but had a true love for the rescued Welsh Corgis that they would eventually own. She was also an avid entrepreneur, starting a decades-long Tupperware business.
She is survived by her son, Edward T. McLean, daughter-in-law Shana, and granddaughter; brothers George, Eddie, and Mark; sisters Lena Mae, Barbara, Mary Ellen, Rita; and many other members of her extended family.
Friends and family may call on Friday, January 13, 2023 from 10:00-11:00 am at Wiggin Purdy Funeral Home, 655 Central Ave., Dover, NH 03820. A funeral service will follow at 11:00 am at the funeral home with interment at Pine Hill Cemetery in Dover. To sign our online guestbook, please go to www.purdyfuneralservice.com