John Chester McLean
August 12, 1918 - January 17, 2011
Obituary
John Chester McLean age 92
Passed away to be with the Lord on January 17, 2011. He was born in Blackberry, Minnesota August 12, 1918 and moved to Seattle in 1936 and stayed in Seattle the rest of his life.
John did several jobs until landing a position with Boeing in 1939. He married Agnes Holen May 23, 1942. John joined the Navy in 1945, did basic training in San Diego and then was moved to Chicago for training in radar and basic engineering. When the war ended he returned to Seattle. Agnes passed away in 2005. They were married for 62 years and had two sons and 4 grandchildren.
Upon returning from Navy duty John continued to work at Boeing and also went to night school to earn a degree in mechanical and structural engineering. He went from the lowest paying job at the Seattle plant to a top management position at Everett where he had 3, 000 men working on the 747. He made the drive from South Seattle to Everett 6 days a week for 10 years and completed 44 years with Boeing by heading up the building of the tail section for the 757 and 767 planes in Naples, Italy.
John was a fine golfer carrying a 1 or 2 handicap for many years and winning the club championship several times at his beloved Rainier G&CC. He also qualified for 3 US Amateur’s and had 9 hole-in- one’s. John served on the Board of Directors for 15 years and was the club president for 2 years. He loved gardening and fed half the neighborhood in his always generous way. His garden was always maintained perfectly as was his yard and flowers.
John traveled to many places with his friends to play golf in many different places, and often his wife Agnes accompanied him. He will be missed by many relatives and friends. He is survived by his sons, Jim and Tom their wives Justine and Cathy and grandchildren Tyler, Wes, Matt, and Jon. Additionally he is survived by his sister Marge Reynolds of Yakima and preceded in death by his sister Kathryn Carlin. Committal and military honors will be held on Saturday, 01/22/11 at 3:30 pm at BONNEY-WATSON Washington Memorial, 16445 International Blvd., SeaTac, WA. 206 242-1787. Family prefers memorial contributions to Virginia Mason Hospital.
To the McLean family,
Dad loved you all. I shall miss him too, as I respected both he & Mom as loving parents as well as good friends. There are certain things I will say or do that I will always think 1st of what Dad would think. His impact on me will last forever.
Thank you all for letting me part of your family. What an honor.
God Bless.
Steve
I DID NOT KNOW YOU BUT HAVE HEARD NOTHING BUT GOOD ABOUT YOU AND THE SPECIAL BOND YOU HA WITH MY AUNT AUDREY. THANK YOU FOR THAT. SHE REALLY THOUGHT ALOT OF YOU. REST IN PEACE
Dear Chet,
I didn’t know you well but we met on a few occasions when I was with my sister Audrey. I remember the time when we went out for lunch and what a nice time we had. You were a very nice gentleman and I know you always treated my sister well. You will be missed by so many people, but I am thankful that your suffering is over and you are in a better place. All my best wishes to you.
Loni Martin
I am so thankful I had the chance to learn from you. I won’t forget the days working in your garden and all the bits of gardening information you gave me. What a wealth of knowledge you had. Don enjoyed visiting with you when we came to till the garden last spring. Your compassion, generosity,and love for gardening will not be forgotten. I will remember the talks we had over a couple drinks at the end of the day. So good bye my special friend, you will be missed. Love Luann
Goodbye Chetty: You were a class act.
Gregoire
Condolences and memories: John was a Boeing colleague and good friend of Bob, now 95. They had wonderful lives.
Uncle Chet will be missed, what a love he was! Prayers to Jim, Tom and family.
The twinkle in his eyes has dimmed,
the smile on his face has faded,
but the bright light that I knew Chet to be, will shine on forever. The airplane builder, the gardener with the greenest of thumbs, and the golfer, who late in life would still have dreams in his sleep of putting a golf ball, did all of those things with his own special brand of magic. Things that Chet enjoyed doing, spending time with his family & close friends that he loved so he did with great passion. Whether I was out working in the garden with Chet, trying out a new recipe on one of our “dinner nights”, or when he was on a winning streak while playing cards, he was a true joy!
Yes, Chet was my employer, but really, that was only a small part of it. He was my mentor and most of all, he was, and always will be, one of my dearest friends.
God bless you Chetty. In my heart you will forever be.
I love you…..Audrey Audie to you
Chet,
I was so sorry to hear of your passing. You were a great man with a very big heart. I will always remember how you helped me when I couldn’t find a job. You didn’t have to do it, but you put me to work in your yard and garden so I could earn a little money. I will never ever forget your kindness.
May God bless you always.
Your friend,
Rudy
Uncle Chet, you will be surely missed by all of our families. You have been the glue of the family and I hope we can carry on your traditions. You helped to make us know how important family is.
We will miss you.
You will be greatly missed by us all, Uncle Chet. I wish I could have seen you during Christmas. You held the family together and I know we will carry on the traditions. You were an amazing man…full of wisdom. I will miss hearing your stories and seeing your smiling face! You will forever be in our hearts…give Agnes hugs xoxo
Dear Chet-
As sad as I am to see you go, I’m thankful that you are no longer suffering.
I’m forever grateful to you for all of your kindness, especially to my sister Audie. You were not only her “boss”, but a loving teacher and true friend.
You were a fine and decent man. A true gentleman, who left this world a better place for having been in it.
God bless you Chet!
Love,
Nancy
My dear sweet Uncle Chet, we all adored him. My Momma loved him so and always looked up to her big brother. I will miss him, but I thank God for answering our prayers to not let him suffer. My life was truly blessed having Uncle Chet, Auntie Agnes, Jim and Tom especially in my growing up years. Enjoy heaven my dear uncle.