Anne MacGregor McClellan

Anne MacGregor McClellan was born February 6, 1949 in Fairmont, West Virginia and Passed away April 18, 2022 at home in Beaumont.

At a very young age, Anne moved to Parkersburg, West Virginia and was educated in their public school system.  During her youth she developed a love for tennis, the theatrical stage and lifelong friends.

Anne began her post-secondary education at Fairmont State College as a theater arts major.  After a year, she transferred to Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia grew up and received a BS in Speech Therapy and Audiology.  While at Marshall Anne was an active member of the Tri Sigma sorority.  Also, while at Marshall Anne picked out her future husband Mark McClellan.  Mark never stood a chance.  Anne and Mark eloped during the spring of her senior year in 1971 to a little Episcopal church in Tazewell Virginia.  Later that year they relocated to Pensacola, Florida when Mark began Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School.  While residing in Pensacola Anne had what she considered an unfortunate experience while applying for a substitute teacher’s position.  It was her intention to find something to do when foul weather prevented her from laying on the white sands of Pensacola’s beaches.  To her dismay, they offered and she accepted a full-time position as a speech therapist.  Anne’s first daughter Megan was born in Pensacola and Anne began learning all about the new world of being a mother.  In late 1972, Anne and her family relocated to Narragansett, Rhode Island.  The beaches were not as inviting as Pensacola so Anne concentrated on learning more about being a mother and a Navy pilot’s wife. She loved the former not so much the latter.  It was in Narragansett where Anne hosted Mark’s favorite Thanksgiving dinner.  When they first married Anne thought a clove of garlic was the entire bulb and she hadn’t mastered boiling water.  They had no furniture in their first home except for the bedrooms but that didn’t scare Anne.   She prepared an entire dinner from soup to nuts for them and their guests and they ate on a tablecloth spread out on the floor.  It was magical Thanksgiving meal.  After only 6 months in Rhode Island, the Navy base was closed and Anne and family relocated to Jacksonville, Florida.  While in Jacksonville Anne began her lifelong pursuit of rescuing stray dogs with the addition of Waffle to their growing family.  Anne returned to the classroom as a Speech Therapist and made some of the best friends of her life. She also went back to school and received her Master’s degree in speech therapy from Florida State University.  But the beautiful beaches in Jacksonville were part of her life and she spent many hours with friends sipping bourbon and Tab (yuck) and playing with her dogs and children.  She once dropped Mark off at the pier to leave on a Navy deployment but left in a hurry to make a sale at the local Mall.  As long as he didn’t crash, Mark would be home in six months but the sale prices may not be available and she had her priorities.  While in Jacksonville Anne’s second daughter Blair was born.  Anne not wanting to waste any time delivered Blair 40 minutes after arriving at the hospital.  She always blamed Mark getting home late after Happy Hour with his Navy buddies for her late arrival at the hospital.  In 1978 Mark left the Navy and the family relocated to Beaumont.  Why Beaumont, (?) pretty simple because that is where Mark found a job.  Not long after arriving Anne took a position as a Speech Therapist with the Hardin Jefferson ISD.  After a couple of years, she got tired of being a circuit rider going from school to school so she went to Lamar University and got certified in Special Education.  During that time Anne’s third daughter Hadley was born the only true Texan in the family.  Anne spent a year as a special Ed teacher at the HJISD then went back to Lamar and got certified in Early Childhood education.  That brought her to the All Saints Episcopal school as a kindergarten teacher.  After two years she changed to the second grade and spent many happy years there.  Later on, she would point out young leaders in our community and tell anyone within earshot that she taught them in second grade and she was amazed how well they turned out.  Then the career itch reoccurred and she decided to make a huge change and entered the world of a realtor.  It was as a realtor that Anne found so much joy in making new friends and learning all about their family and life.  I mean everything from heritage to where their cousins lived nothing was left out.   Being a realtor gave her the freedom to pursue her true passion that of a mother and best friend to her girls.  Anne’s theatrical roots never left her and she made certain that her girls experienced the joy of performing.  She spent countless hours chauffeuring the girls to the Bonnie Cokinos’ dance studio and endless upon endless performances.  She always told the girls front and center is where you want to be.  Anne would celebrate as her girls got promoted from a mouse to a bird and even to Cinderella in the studio’s annual performance of Cinderella.  It was during this time that she surreptitiously reentered the world of theater.  She came home one evening and asked Mark if he thought it would be OK if she auditioned for a part in a local play.  Mark saw no problem, she then told him she had already auditioned, gotten a part and rehearsals would begin the next week.  There were lots of performances at the old little theater at the fairgrounds. Anne was in her element and loved every play where she earned a part. It could be said Anne stopped performing when she could no longer play the ingenue roles.  No doubt her love of performing passed on to her girls.  When Blair was five years old, she joined Anne on stage in the Beaumont Community Players production of “The Seven Year Itch” and Megan performed in “Annie”.   As the girls reached High School age, Anne concentrated on volunteer work with the Symphony League of Southeast Texas in order for the girls to participate in what Mark always called our local oxymoron; being a Beaumont Debutante.  Megan went on to dance professionally all over the world after college.  Hadley performed standup comedy routines in New York City.  Hadley’s entire act was based on all the funny things Anne had done in the past.  During this same time Anne took all three girls to Las Vegas where Anne and some of her girlfriends had been going twice year.   At one point, after an inebriated man was chastised by one of her girls for using foul language in front of their “Mom” everyone at a that craps table knew Anne as “Mom.” They cheered for “Mom” and hoped she didn’t crap out when she wanted to roll nine the hard way.  At this time in Anne’s life, she moved into high gear finding and adopting stray dogs. She would bring one home and Mark would always say I love dogs I just don’t want to own them all.  That line fell on deaf ears time and time again.  Anne probably saved over 20 dogs during her life and those dogs never dreamed of having it so good.  As time went by, Anne got to plan a couple of weddings which was such a fun bonding experience with her girls.  Then after spending so many years being a mother, she moved on to what she believed was an even better gig, being a grandmother.  But don’t anyone dare call her grandmother she was Annie.  To Anne, calling her grandmother was just as offensive as using elderly in the same sentence with her name.  Later in life Anne returned to her love of tennis which up to that time had only provided a source of names for her dogs. She would get up at all hours of the night to watch the matches from the grand slam tournaments no matter from what country they originated.   For Anne the best part of ladies’ team tennis was the trip to a restaurant afterwards with her teammates and opponents as everyone was welcome to have dinner and a glass of wine. Anne would come home from a match and Mark would ask how it went.  She would gleefully say something like, Oh it was great, I had so much fun, I hit two aces and we lost 6-2.  She particularly loved getting to go compete at sectional tournaments.  It wasn’t the thought of winning at sectionals it was happy hour with the ladies that she loved so much.  Anne always loved entertaining her friends getting dressed as few of her friends dressed along with massive jewelry and laying on the glitter.  Whether it be Derby Day, book club or any holiday she never thought to make it simple and plain.  Anne’s personality bubbled like the prosecco she loved.

She is survived by her husband, Mark; daughters, Megan Rodgers and husband, Ryan, and their children, Nolan and Camille of Las Vegas, Nevada, Blair Painter and husband, Russell, and their children, Reese, Bridget, and Reilly of Houston, and her baby, Hadley McClellan, of Houston; sister, Pamela Lowe of Orlando, Florida; Mark’s sister, Peggy and husband, Erik Molander, of Portland, Oregon, their daughter Margot Paradise and husband, Paul, of Seattle, Washington;  All of her many fabulous lady tennis buddies; and of course her four-legged buddies, “Fed” Federer, “Venus” Williams, “Fabio” Fognini, Domino, and Tula Fae.

Anne was preceded in death by her mother, Jean C. Welling, father J. C. Welling, and her best four-legged buddies, Celeste, Waffle, Veronica, Giselle, “Pete” Sampras, “Andy” Roddick, “Patrick” Rafter, “BUD” Butt Ugly Dog, “Roger” Federer, Scruffy, Winston, Admiral, and Concho.

In lieu of flowers, nothing could honor Anne more than making a contribution to an animal shelter in your area. Oh and cheer for Roger Federer whenever you watch him play Anne will be.

Her cremation arrangements were handled through Broussard’s Crematorium under the direction of Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, May 12, 2022 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 680 Calder, Beaumont. Immediately following there will be a celebration of Anne’s life at the Betty Greenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 4155 Laurel Street, Beaumont.  Anne’s family hopes all of her friends will join them to enjoy some of her favorite foods and to toast Anne’s life, adventures and share their stories of Anne.