Mary Ann McLachlan's Obituary
McLachlan, Mary Ann died August 25th at the age of 79. She was born in Rock Island, Illinois on October 6, 1939 to Kenneth and Irene Shogren. She attended Rock Island High School and later graduated from Michigan State University in 1972 and again in 1982 with her MSW degree. She married Herb McLachlan on January 1, 1977 and they were partners together for the next 42 years. Even though Herb was transferred to the Saginaw office in 1979 she continued her travels back to East Lansing so she could complete her MSW degree. Mary Ann was the first woman to open a clinical practice in Saginaw, Michigan in 1983 serving primarily female clientele. She also partnered with Herb in building the firm’s practice being a true mentor and inspiration to the staff and their spouses. She also volunteered for many community activities. Upon their transfer to Cleveland after the Ernst & Young merger in 1989, she was employed by Humana to work with their major corporation clients in managing their Employee Assistance Programs. After Herb’s retirement they moved back to Michigan where they shared time between their lakefront home in Grayling and condo in Clearwater, Florida. In 2000 they moved full time to Sand Key in Clearwater to be active in the community. She loved her books and her book clubs as she has read over 2,000 books which are filed by author in her numerous bookcases. Her huge library reflected her pursuit of knowledge and desire for information and understanding. She was a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendents and joined the Greater Tampa Bay William Bradford Colony where she served as their treasurer and secretary for many years. In retirement, she was a member of the Guardian el Litem team in Pinellas County, a Make-A-Wish volunteer and a volunteer for the American Red Cross traveling to several disaster areas. They never took a cruise while working, but found time in retirement to cruise the world. She enjoyed golfing with the women’s 18 hole group at the Belleair Country Club until her health began to fail in 2012. Her health issues may have changed her body, but not her heart. She is survived by her loving husband Herb, her daughter Stacia (Frank) Hall of Safety Harbor, her son Steve White of Naples, by Herb’s son Greg (Kathy) McLachlan of Minneapolis and his daughter Delynn (Ted) VanAtta of East Lansing, Michigan and her sister Janet Parker of Sarasota; nine grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her parents, her brother Stephen Shogren, her son Tommy to cystic fibrosis and her brother-in-law Jim Parker.
Service will be held at the Chapel by the Sea, 54 Bay Esplanade, Clearwater Beach at 11 a.m. on September 7, 2019.
In lieu of flowers, family suggests, memorial gifts in her honor be made to the Mary Ann McLachlan MSW Scholarship Fund at Spring Arbor University, 106 Main St, Spring Arbor, MI 49283.
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