Iladean McClung

 Iladean McClung

September 29, 1929 to July 23, 2016

A lifelong resident of Yuma, Colorado, Iladean Smith McClung was born September 29, 1929 in the sand hills south and west of Abar, Colorado and passed into heaven joining her beloved and devoted husband Louie July 23, 2016 at the Collier Hospice Center on the Lutheran Medical Center campus in Wheat Ride, Colorado.

One of six siblings she was the second daughter of Walter Samuel Smith and Edith Mildred Schaede Smith. Iladean attended elementary and junior high in a one room school one mile south of their homestead in the community of Hughes, Colorado. She moved to Yuma in 1943 to attend high school. Following a two year courtship she married Louis (Louie) Henry McClung. Iladean and Louie immediately moved into their home on South Albany Street where they live and loved all of their lives. To her loving union with Louie where born two sons, seven grand children and five great grand children.

Iladean started her working career as an assistant pharmacist and soda jerk at Smaley’s drug store in Yuma. She worked there through high school and until she and Louie started rising a family. Once the boys were in high school she started working at the Book Mobile traveling the back roads of Northeast Colorado. In the mid 1960’s she went to work for the Town of Yuma serving as Assistant City Clerk and Assistant Librarian until her retirement in the mid Eighties. In retirement she was a volunteer and staunch supporter of Old Threshers.

Iladean loved family, genealogy, weather, gardening, camping, collecting coins and stamps, and hiking. One of her lifelong favorite pastimes was arrowhead hunting. When she was twelve she found, “her arrowhead”, a perfect Yuma point, in a blowout north of the homestead. She was hooked!!! It was her pride and joy, a copy of which resides in the Smithsonian Institute.

Preceding here in death where her husband Louis, and son Walter, sisters Rosalea Staley Hilbert, Barbara Chandler Beethe, Alice Hissam, and brother Clarence (Bud) Smith.

She is survived by her sister Patricia Howell Qualls of San Diego, California; son Tim and wife Kathy McClung of Westminster, Colorado, grand children Shawn and wife Erin McClung of Seattle, Washington, Heather McClung of Westminster, Colorado, Colin and wife Riquawn, granddaughters Kamren McClung, Issabellah and Phoenyx of Kingsland, Texas, great grandson Conor McClung of Manassas, Virginia; Sister-in-law Pam McClung of Yuma, Colorado, grandchildren Christopher McClung of Sterling, Colorado, Brian and wife Lauren McClung, great granddaughter Calliope McClung of Denver, Colorado and a host of family and friends who will all remember her as loving, caring and gracious.

We are all better people for having known and loved her. She will be missed.