Mary Lou, My Aunt

Mary Lou McLean moved from here to there on Christmas morning this year at the age of 89.  She joins her mother, father, and sisters...My Mother Sybil, the oldest sister, and my Aunts, Mavis, next, then, Betty. Mary Lou is the youngest. 

I call her Mary Lou (ML).  On either side of my family we did not use the titles Aunt or Uncle.  My Mother and Dad called their siblings by their first name...so did I.  No one ever told me differently...maybe because I was the first grandchild in both families, I was given certain liberties? ...some people called that spoiled:)

Mavis in back
Me and ML in front
Shreveport, Louisiana

I think I knew Mary Lou 

better than Mavis and Betty 

although I spent happy times

 in both of their homes 

with my cousins, 

Lillian, Patricia

Mac, Ellen, 

Patty, Jane, & Lynne! 

Grandmother
came with them
(In back)
Me, ML.2nd row
Susan and Leigh in front...

...Maybe because we were always in her way on the way to where she was going...mainly to Grandmother's.  (She is the one that told me that Grandmother wanted to be called Grandmother...I am not sure that was true.  I suspect it is what Mary Lou wanted for me to call her. From then on, I called her Grandmother:)

...and in turn we taught other friends..
Note we are up to two tables!

On her way through she always had time for me.  She taught me and my friends to play Bridge.  She painted our living room...gray! I call that  her 'gray' period. 


At sixteen I took my first airplane trip to Atlanta to see her and my cousins, Susan and Leigh.  It is one of the best memories of my life because of Mary Lou. I have fun with my cousins, but ML showed me the town. 

We went to Rich's to shop and lunch in the tea room. 


 We went to Joel Chandler Harris' home where he wrote the Uncle Remus stories.  We passed by the Candler (Coca-Cola) Mansion and Peachtree Street where Margaret Mitchell (Gone With the Wind) was struct by a car and later died.


She visited my Mother as she grew older. When she came to Little Rock, we went antiquing and looked at old houses in the Quapaw Quarter. She was really into 'old' houses!  If one caught her attention, we would stop and check it out...no matter that anyone lived there or not.

Mary Lou was a force with whom to be reckoned.  She often called me to task on my beliefs.  If I said that something was white, she would take the opposite view.  I think it was a test.  Sometimes I hung in with her. Sometimes I just gave up and let her 'win'...is that tactful or what:)


Our McLean's are not really a close family as far as being connected every day or even every month or year.  We are close in spirit.  There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of  one of my McLean family.  I attribute that to Mary Lou.  She is the last of the sisters.  There are a few of us cousins that stay somewhat connected. However, I can't help but feel that this is the waning of this sect of the McLean Clan. 

We will become a part of history...one day one of our descendants will be including us on their genealogy charts. 

Mary Lou...Pictures From My Albums...

LtoR: unknown best man
Jim and Mavis Davis
Mary Lou McLean

Betty in backyard
on Okmulgee

ML, Grandmother, Me and Mom (Sybil)
1970's in Sinton

Flower Fashions, Sinton,Texas
I bought that
Silk-Embroidered English Firescreen..
Still have it!

Haley,Mary Lou,Me
at Mom's Graveside Service