Frances Lillian (Hughes) McLellan

Frances was preceded in death by her husband of 45 years, Major Howard Sharrard McLellan, Jr. (Ret.), her son Angus Hughes McLellan, sisters Clytee Jones and June Farrar and grandchild Stephanie Rogers. She is survived by her son, Thomas Charles McLellan, of Jacksonville, NC; her daughter, Anna McLellan Hagan (Kenneth), of Raleigh, NC; 8 grandchildren; Joey Crocker, Rich McLellan, Edward Moore (Stacey), Robin Papera (Michael), Tommy Moore, Ashton Haskins (Jake), Daniel Hagan, Christiana Hagan and 7 great-grandchildren; Chase, Levi, Shyla, Lillian, Michael, Mary and Everleigh.

Frances grew up in Laurel, Mississippi where she graduated high school at the age of sixteen and went on to attend Mississippi Women’s College. She majored in Biology and after graduating in 1950 with her bachelor’s degree, went on to teach high school Biology. In 1953 she married her husband, Howard, in Laurel, Mississippi. When they started their family, she left her teaching job and took great pride in running her household and raising her children while her husband was serving in the military. During this time, her love for biology and nature was fulfilled through participating in local women’s clubs such as Bird Clubs, Shell Clubs, Garden Clubs, etc. She had an extensive collection of seashells, some very rare, that she organized, labeled and displayed in her home for years. On their last move from Florida to North Carolina, she donated her collection to a college in Florida for their library.

The one organization that Frances truly was invested in was the Girl Scouts of America. She eventually became the President of the Girl Scout Council of Coastal Carolina and was invited to the White House by former First Lady Rosalind Carter along with other Girl Scout Council Presidents in 1980 to attend a recognition reception. She loved to tell people that she was a Girl Scout for 50 plus years!

Frances persevered through many obstacles in her life. After losing her husband in 1998, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a radical mastectomy, chemo and radiation. She fought this fight with a will to live and was cancer free for the remainder of her life! In 2005, after losing her oldest son, she moved in with her daughter and son-in-law and prospered for years. Later in life, after losing most of her mobility and most of her eyesight, Frances never lost her love for learning. She enjoyed Facebook and researching her family ancestry. She spent most of her days on her computer finding interesting stories to tell about her ancestors. She was a very bright and intelligent lady that was full of spirit. She was greatly loved and will be greatly missed.

A memorial service will be held at Brown Wynne Funeral Home 1701 East Millbrook Road, Raleigh, NC 27609 on Sunday, September 6, 2020 at 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in her honor to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation or the Girl Scouts of North Carolina Coastal Pines.