Marcy Esther McLean, age 67, passed away peacefully at her home on January 27, 2024, after a year long battle with cancer. She was born on October 2, 1956, in Shelby, MT to Archie Glenn “AG” McLean and Lucy (Luchi) McLean. She attended schools in Shelby and Kevin before graduating from NTCHS in Sunburst in 1975. She then attended the Billings Votech Center taking mechanical drawing and design.

Marcy loved farming and ranching. She grew up learning and doing all farm skills and caring for animals, chickens being her favorite. She leased, then owned her own acreage, a part of the McLean Farm North of Ethridge. She was especially proud of her purchase of a John Deere tractor and her drills given to her by her Uncle Lloyd.

Despite a devastating brain injury suffered in a motor vehicle accident at the age of 21, she went on to enjoy a remarkable life. Local KSEN radio would report daily of her progress and recovery and the community rallied around her with incredible support.

She worked at Buthey Foods in Shelby, later transferring to Richland, WA where she became the 5th person management then returned to Shelby after being diagnosed with IDDM. She was a cook, hostess, and bartender at many establishments across the Shelby, Cut Bank, and Conrad areas. She loved traveling and was able to do so from one end of the United States to the other. In later years she moved to Great Falls where her and her mother Lucy would share a residence forming a partnership providing care for each other. She worked as a laundry attendant at MR Manor for many years and enjoyed the elderly residents, visiting and caring for them.

Every year Marcy was known for baking Christmas cookies for family and friends. Her soft decorated gingerbreads became a favorite to all. She loved animals and became a trusted pet sitter for family and neighbors in their homes, falling in love with their pets and checking in on them regularly. She had a talent for cooking, baking, sewing quilts and oil painting in which her special evergreen tree and initials (mem) became her signature. She had a special place in her heart for each of her nephews and nieces. As aunty, she not only helped care for many of them at young ages but rarely missed a graduation, family get together, sporting event, holiday, wedding, or birth. She loved dancing and music and could be heard many times singing her theme song “Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, don’t mess with Mr. In-between.” She had an incredible amount of pride in being part of a clinical trial studying cancer and therefore helping the cancer patients.

Marcy’s outgoing and unique character, her out of the box but realistic thinking, her fun, loving and generous spirit, her beautiful smile and her presence will be dearly missed.

We would like to take this opportunity to lovingly thank the many family members, cousins, friends, neighbors, and classmates for their loving support, encouragement, their visits, gifts, thoughts, prayers, and many many kind deeds. To each of her doctors, nurses, and hospice caregivers, your care, concern, and guidance has been deeply appreciated.

She is survived by her mother, Lucy (Luchi) McLean of Great Falls; sisters, Cathy Witt of Scottsdale, AZ and Jamie (Dennis) Betts of Great Falls; and 26 special nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her father, AG McLean; brother, Tyler McLean; and niece, Jennifer Witt.

Burial of ashes will be at Mountain View Cemetery in Shelby, MT at a later date.

Condolences for the family may also be sent to Lucy McLean at Schnider Funeral Home, 1510 13th St S. Great Falls, MT 59405.