Rebecca Faye McLaren

A Tribute to Rebecca Faye McLaren

April 30, 1963 - October 1, 2025

If you were lucky enough to be loved by Becky McLaren, you knew it. She didn't just care-she committed. Fiercely. Faithfully. With cards in the mail, gifts tucked into corners, phone calls that never missed a week, and a memory so sharp she could still recall Brandon's soccer jersey number from when he was four years old. Becky's love was not casual. It was deliberate, enduring, and sometimes wrapped in a bow.

Born in La Grange, Kentucky on April 30, 1963, Becky carried the grit of her roots and the grace of her upbringing into every chapter of her life. She was brilliant-blessed with an almost photographic memory-and organized in a way that made her indispensable. If the McLaren family ever made it to a vacation on time, it was because Becky had planned it down to the minute. She was the compass, the calendar, the quiet force behind the scenes who made life work.

Before she met Jim, Becky made a bold move-literally. She packed her belongings, transferred with American Airlines, and drove herself to Miami. No fanfare, no entourage. Just Becky, her car, and her resolve. That same spirit carried her through 37 years at American Airlines, decades of volunteer work, and a lifetime of showing up for others-whether she knew them or not.

She met Jim McLaren, her lifelong partner, and together they built a marriage that spanned 34 years. Jim proposed in Albuquerque, under city lights, and from that moment on, they were a team. Through Hurricane Andrew, through long commutes between Cape Coral and Miami, and through quiet dinners, they lived a love that didn't need words. They had nicknames-Queenie and Squeaky-and a rhythm that only long love can teach: "The two of you never give up on the same day."

Becky was "By the Book"-but her heart was anything but rigid. She was generous, kind, and fiercely loyal. She adopted a stray dog named Lady because she saw something familiar in her eyes. She defended her family with the same conviction she brought to organizing sorority events for Theta Phi Alpha, which she joined in 1982 and never left. Becky didn't dabble-she devoted.

Her passions were deep and lasting. Soccer, sparked by her son Brandon's childhood passion, became a 27-year commitment to youth sports. Horse racing was in her blood-her family's Dixon Silks were legendary, and Becky attended the Kentucky Derby for over 40 years. She loved Alysheba for his grit, Secretariat for his glory, and Pat Day for the stories they shared mid-flight. Every year, on the Thursday before the Derby, Becky honored her father's recovery by attending an AA meeting with him-a quiet ritual of love and remembrance.

She was a reader-Richard Paul Evans, Mitch Albom, Danielle Steele-and a puzzler, with picture puzzles spread across the table like meditations. She was tech-savvy, often helping her mother with computer issues, and she was always in touch-especially with Brandon and her grandchildren, who knew her voice as well as her gifts.

Becky's humor was quick but never crude. She giggled when Jim tripped, rolled her eyes, and laughed hardest at stories with heart.

Becky McLaren died on October 1, 2025, at just 62 years old. She is survived by her mother Nan, her husband Jim, her son Brandon and his wife Kayleigh, her beloved grandchildren Lila and Kelsey, her sister Rachel and husband Tim, along with her father Jesse C. Dixon. But she is also survived by every life she touched-every soccer game she volunteered for, every Theta Phi Alpha event she volunteered for, every tradition she kept.

She was the queen of her house, the planner of every trip, the keeper of memory, and the heart of her family. Becky didn't just live. She showed up. She stayed. She loved.

And we will never forget her.

In lieu of flowers family requests that donations in her name be made to:

Theta Phi Alpha Sorority at my.thetaphialpha.org

FYSA (Florida Youth Soccer Association) at fysa.com

CCSA ( Cape Coral Soccer Association) at TBD

A Celebration of Life will take place on Saturday, October 18th, 2025 at 2:00pm at Harvey-Engelhardt Funeral Services located at 1600 Colonial Blvd, Ft. Myers, Fl 33907.