Elaine Byrd McClellan, 88, of Piedmont passed away April 14, 2022.
A mass celebrating her life will be held at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Cleveland, Oklahoma, on Wednesday, April 20, at 10:30 a.m. and a graveside service will be held on Thursday, April 21 at 2 p.m. at the Kansas Cemetery in Piedmont.
She was born Nov. 19, 1933, in Mobile, Alabama, to Carl R. and Adeline P. Byrd. She received her Dental Hygiene Degree from the University of Tennessee in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1954. Upon receiving her Tennessee State Board, she married Thomas E. McClellan. They lived in Memphis until he graduated from dental school. They moved to many interesting places with the U.S. Public Health Service from Staten Island, New York; on the Navajo Reservation in Tuba City, Arizona; Phoenix, Arizona; Aberdeen, South Dakota; Richmond California; Frankford, Kentucky; Bethesda Maryland; Oklahoma City; and, finally, Piedmont.
Elaine made every place home for her family, but Piedmont became HOME. Elaine actively participated in the Parent Teacher’s Association, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, band and church activities with her and Thomas’ three children, Daphne, Thomas Edgar Jr. and Cynthia. She enjoyed people, reading, music, theatre, traveling, baking and, most of all, her family. She belonged to the Book of Pearl’s Review Club and Oklahoma County Cardinal Extension Homemakers for over 50 years, where she was honored as Oklahoma County Homemaker of the Year in 1977. She was also a member of the Zeta Rho Sorority of Piedmont, Piedmont Historical Society, the Red Hat Ladies and Sister Barbara Rosary Group.
Elaine worked as a Dental Hygienist until her husband graduated from dental college. When they lived in Bethesda, Maryland, she worked at a Jewish pre-school. In Oklahoma City she worked part-time at the Archdiocesan development office, and after moving to Piedmont was a flexible postal clerk in the Piedmont post office for over nine years.
Elaine was preceded in death by her mother and father, Carl and Adeline; her husband, Thomas; her sisters, Marietta and Earline; and her grandson, Quintin McClellan. She is survived by her daughters, Daphne Lynn Cover and her husband Tom of Baltimore, Maryland; Cynthia Elaine Tillson and her husband Larry of Maramec; and son Ed and wife Shelley of Westminster, Colorado. She is also survived her five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren – Matthew Tillson and his wife Amanda of Duncan; Andrew Tillson and his wife Kendra and their daughter Haley, of Tulsa; Jacob Tillson and his wife Jennifer and their children Avery and Nathan of Jenks; Sarah McClellan of Denver, Colorado; and Kelsey Blackert, her husband Don and their son Jaxon of Baltimore, Maryland.
