Obituary of Delores L McLean

Delores (Dee) L. McLean DOB 07/15/1931 DOD 04/30/2026 Delores was born to William and Mary Heiser in Mound City, South Dakota in July of 1931 and lived there until 1939, at which time they moved to Newport, Washington, looking for greener pastures. When Delores was 12 years old, she started her first job cleaning for a wealthy widow at $1 an hour. Once she graduated from Newport High School, she worked for the Interstate Telephone Company in town as a telephone operator. Later she relocated to Spokane, Washington where she worked for Pacific Northwest Bell as an operator and supervisor. Soon, she wanted a bit more excitement in her young life, so she transferred to San Francisco, California as a telephone operator and public relations expert. After 3 years, she returned to Newport, which ended up being the best decision of her life. That’s when she met her charming husband, Jack McLean. It was love at first sight and they married in 6 months’ time. In 1968 they purchased a hardware and appliance store. It required a move to Othello, Washington, so off they went with their son Jeff in tow. Twenty years passed and they sold the store, planning on retirement. But when the opportunity to work for Shannon McKay at the Olympic Produce Import/Export onion shipping business arose, they both jumped at the chance and became employees. When they decided to retire a second time, they did a lot of traveling in their motor home with Don and Joyce McLean. Another way they spent their time was attending sporting events with Jeff and they loved every one of them. It included many Mariners and Seahawk games. It was perfect. Delores was also an avid bird watcher and saw many species, including blue herons. The birds were drawn by the backyard pond that Jack had built. She loved reading, cooking, gardening, crossword puzzles, cross stitch, movies, music and decorating their home. Her favorite quote was “Laughter is good for the soul” and she and Jack loved and laughed every day. After Jack died, her laughter turned to extreme grief. She became active in the senior community center and met caring people while she exercised and socialized. It made a big difference. Good neighbors can be a big blessing to a grieving widow with health issues. Delores’ neighbor, Cindy Schutte, became her best friend and a caregiver in many forms, over the last 14 years. It is impossible to describe how much the family appreciates everything she has done. The shopping trips, doctor’s appointments, the calls in the middle of the night for help, the loving conversations, the unselfish and frequent visits to Coventry House where Delores lived out her final years. Thank you, many times over, Cindy. You have been an angel to Delores and our family. We need to say thank you to the staff at Coventry House also. They made her transition from her home (which she didn’t want to leave) much better than she expected. She knew she was safe and the fun activities every day were something she looked forward to. She enjoyed laughing with the caregivers, housekeepers and the other residents. The staff cared about her. Thank you all. She is survived by her brother, Floyd Heiser (Anita) and their son Justin Heiser and daughter Tiffany Gross; her nieces Debbie Niebuhr (Mike) and son Scott Robinson, and Denise Hartung (Dick) and their daughter Katy McGrady (Kevin) and son Jake Hartung (Isabella), along with 5 great nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Jack, her son Jeff, her two sisters Idella and Loretta, and a great-niece Jill who was only 9 years old. Donations: Candlelighters for Children with Cancer, 6600 SW 92 nd , Ste 160, Portland, OR 972223; Othello Pet Rescue, P O Box 612, Othello, WA 99344; Othello Senior Center, 755 N. 7 th Ave., Othello, WA 99344.