Frances S. ("Franna") McClelland (nee Frances Louise Shaffer), of Ojai, California, passed away on Wednesday, October 17, 2018, at the age of 95. She was under hospice care and died of natural causes in the company of her loving daughter Katherine McClelland.
Frances was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 7, 1923 and grew up in New Jersey. Her father Theodore Lloyd Shaffer rose to senior executive positions in the flooring business; her mother, Ethyl Watts Shaffer, was a homemaker and accomplished pianist. She attended high school at St. John the Baptist School for Girls, and attended Radcliffe College where she majored in Philosophy. During World War II, she took time off from her studies to work as a draftswoman for Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford, Connecticut helping with the design of aircraft engines used in the war effort. Returning to Radcliffe after the war she met her husband, Walter Moore McClelland and they were married on June 1, 1947. In 2017, they celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary with family and friends in attendance.
With Frances' encouragement, Walter joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1950 and the two of them served in Liverpool and London, England; Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Beirut, Lebanon; Baghdad, Iraq; Kuwait, Kuwait and finally Alexandria, Egypt. Between postings they lived in Washington, D.C., and were members of All Saints' Episcopal Church in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
In amongst their travels, Frances maintained a strong interest in early childhood development. In Baghdad, she hosted a neighborhood day care center in her home and in Kuwait she volunteered at a hospital for children with disabilities. Between postings in Kuwait and Alexandria she helped found a day care center at their church called All Saint's All Day centered on the teachings of Maria Montessori, and she received a Maters in Early Childhood Development from Trinity College. While in Alexandria she was a regular contributor to a center for disadvantaged young women which produced embroidered hand crafts. Upon their permanent return to Washington in 1981, Frances again worked with All Saints All Day and other day care centers in the Washington area. In later years, she combined her love of music and interest in early childhood development to sponsor KinderMusik music classes in her home in both Washington and Ojai.
Frances is survived by her daughter Katherine; sons Jay McClelland, William Laziza, and Bruce McClelland as well as eight nieces and nephews, seven grandchildren and five great grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband Walter ("Mac") in January of this year and their other daughter, Mary Elizabeth McClelland.
A memorial service will be held to celebrate the memory of Franna McClelland at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 409 Topa Topa Drive, Ojai, CA 93023 at the 10:00am service on Sunday December 9, 2018. The service will be followed by a reception in Fellowship Hall adjacent to the church. All are invited to attend.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Franna's name can be sent to St. Andrew's Episcopal Church (address above); All Saints' Church, 3 Chevy Chase Circle, Chevy Chase, MD 20815; or to The Frances and Walter McClelland Scholarship Fund at Hampshire College, 893 West Street, Amherst, MA 01002.
Arrangements were under the care of the Joseph P. Reardon Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 757 E. Main St. Ventura.