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In memory of those who have Crossed the Bar
McLEAN, Donald Allan John (Dan, Danny) - a man who lived an adventurous and fulfilling life, was born March 15, 1941 in Sudbury, Ontario, son of John McLean and Yvonne nee Marier. He passed away on April 28, 2023 in Grand Forks, British Columbia, leaving behind a life filled with hard work, adventure and laughter.
Dan grew up in the rough mining town of Sudbury, Ontario and worked in the mine and smelter there. In his early twenties, he joined the Canadian Navy where he worked as a power engineer and diver. It was in these occupations where he learned the value of hard work, discipline, and rum. These were important to him throughout his life.
After leaving the navy, Dan met his wife Helen in Abbotsford and in 1969 moved with her to Kamloops where they got married. Dan’s hard work and dedication were evident in everything he did. As they looked after the Lindgren farm, he built a beautiful log house on land he purchased at Pinantan Lake. They spent a few years living at Pinantan before he and Helen bought and settled 160 acres of wilderness towards Hyas Lake. In a pioneer lifestyle off the grid, he raised all kinds of livestock and logged the land, all the while working as a power engineer at the Mount Lolo Radar Base and later at Agriculture Canada at Tranquille looking after the barns and cattle. He also ran a garbage route at Pinantan and Paul lakes for many years.
Dan was a tough man, but his kindness and generosity endeared him to everyone he met and despite his tireless work ethic, he knew how to enjoy life. He was known to spend many hours conversing, laughing and hosting great parties with friends and neighbors. Every summer he took two weeks off with his family to explore and camp throughout western Canada. After retiring from work and selling the farm, he and Helen bought a travel trailer and traveled up northern Canada and then down south, spending six months driving throughout Mexico. In 2012, he drove throughout the Highlands and Islands of Scotland with his son Danny and attended the McLean Clan gathering at Duart Castle.
In his later years, Dan settled in Grand Forks with Helen, where he enjoyed gardening and woodworking. He also loved books, exploring his eccentric interests in mysticism, the universe, conspiracies, and alternate realities. He was a man of much knowledge and many talents. He had a great sense of humor which he retained until the end.
Dan McLean will be remembered as a man who worked hard, loved life, and always found joy in the simple things. He is survived by his wife Helen (Eleanor) nee Peters, his sons Danny and Alex, his step-children Wanda McRae, Barb Crosby and John Froese, his sisters Jackie Lowney and Patricia Paul, and many grand-children. His legacy will live on through the memories he created with his family and friends and the impact he had on their lives.
A memorial will be held in his honour at a later date. (Source: Castanet.net)
My Dad was born in Sudbury Ontario in 1941. In 1963, he joined the Navy when he was 22, and served on the HMCS Ste. Therese until 1967. He completed boot camp in Cornwallis, Nova Scotia and his Power Engineer and Diving Courses at Royal Roads, in Esquimalt, BC. Growing up he regaled us with tales of his many adventures in the navy: Sailing to Hawaii, Mexico, Chile, Peru. He remembered sailing into San Francisco Bay the afternoon JFK was assassinated, rough sailing in the Gulf of Alaska, bar fights in the many ports, diving into the depths of the Pacific at night. Getting a tattoo from Hotel Street in Honolulu, from what was later determined to be Sailor Jerry’s shop at the time.
After the Navy He met and married my mother, Helen Peters. They lived out in the bush, off the grid, by Kamloops, BC, where they worked a quarter section farm until he retired. He also worked as a power engineer at the CFS Mount Lolo Radar Base until it closed in 1988, and the Agriculture Canada Farm until it closed in 1996.
Upon retiring they sold the farm and moved to Grand Forks BC, where he lived out the rest of his days in leisure and traveling until he passed in 2023. (Submitted by Dan McLean)
Ships served in:
(DM01) OS Dan McLean, Saguenay Division, HMCS CORNWALLIS (DM02) OS Dan McLean at HMCS CORNWALLIS
(DM03) HMCS STE THERESE 309 postcard (DM03) Dan McLean by the aft gun mount on HMCS STE THERESE 309 (DM04) Dan McLean's friends and shipmates Les Currie and Ray Spies in Acapulco, Mexico (DM05) Dan McLean (right) at a party with unknown female friend and a friend off HMCS ANTIGONISH 301 - location unknown
(DM06) Dan McLean in his later years enjoying a vacation down in Cancun
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