Wilma Ellen McLean

Mom lived a charmed life, always surrounded by love. Wilma Ellen Brazill was born in a farmhouse where the Wichita Airport now sits. Her parents, Will and Lillie Brazill were already in their 40's and her 6 siblings, were from 7 to 21 years older than Mom. (The 1930 picture shows Mom at 5 standing in front of siblings Allen, Ruth, Albert Lloyd, Don and Claude). Not surprisingly, they all doted on the youngster. Why she never seemed spoiled is anyone's guess.

Mom went to a one-room school, Prairie Gem and was brought into the Wichita School System after the 8th grade. She graduated from North High and later Friends University. Numerous teachers encouraged her along the way.

With all the love surrounding Mom, she had enough to share. While helping with enrollment at Friends in 1945 Mom met a young man, Bill McLean just returned from World War II and enrolling as a freshman under the GI Bill. Mom was a theatre major and in Singing Quakers so Dad enrolled in theatre and joined Singing Quakers. They were rarely apart during the next 62 years.

Mom graduated in 1946 and took a teaching job in Milton, Kansas. Dad, still at Friends, saw her on weekends and wrote her many love letters which family lore suggests Mom sent back with corrections.

They married in 1947, and over the next 8 years had four sons. We, too, were surrounded by love-they had plenty to spare. We each fought battles with Mom and Dad, but no matter how stupid their rules might seem to us, we knew they were doing what they thought best for us; we never doubted that we were loved.

On the day her youngest started junior high and no one came home for lunch, Mom sat down at the kitchen table and thought about what she should do with the next part of her life. She returned to teaching, first as a substitute and later as an English teacher and then head librarian at North High. When she talked about her students you could tell how much she enjoyed and cared about each one of them.

Mom was librarian at North High when it began using computers, and she became an early adopter. After she retired Mom bought a home computer and began writing a book of family stories. Some were stories she had heard from her mother, grandmother and from other relatives, stories about events that happened long before Mom was born. Most, though, were stories about her life; highly personal stories detailing where she was, who she was with, what they did and said, what she felt about it at the time and after reflection. Vivid portraits of life on the farm, a one-room school, war-time Wichita, love, motherhood, career, retirement, loss.

Dad died in 2007. Mom said she had not slept without him next to her in the 60 years they were married. Mom was sad and lonely; but she was still surrounded by love-family and friends giving back a part of what they had received from her. She was also practical and asked us before we left town to show her how to pump gasoline and some other things that Dad always took care of.

Mom was always a little lonely after Dad died, but still filled with love for us and others. She made friends easily, chatted with strangers, and drew out new people entering her world and made them feel welcomed.

Mom will be buried in a cemetery less than 2 miles from her birthplace, next to Dad and surrounded by her parents, grandparents, siblings, nieces, nephews, and other family members. 97 years surrounded by love; not a bad life.

Mom is survived by son's Don, Randy, Bob & Roger; daughters-in-law Paula, Teri & Sherry; grandchildren Meghan, Whitney, Tasha, Danielle & Brett; great-grandchildren Dominic, Madelyn, Orion, Sophia & Adrian; and numerous nieces, nephews, etc.

Visitation for Mom will be from 4-7 p.m. Thursday July 6th at Cochran's Funeral Home and a funeral service held at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 7th at Trinity Presbyterian Church where she was a founding member, choir alto, deacon, elder, and frequent liturgist.