Obituary of Blanche McLellan

Blanche E. McLellan Registered Nurse, Devoted Wife, Mother, Friend, 81 Blanche E. McLellan, 81, passed away peacefully on Sept. 8, 2009 at her home in Tewkesbury Township, following a brave battle with pancreatic cancer. Born in Bloomington, IL, she grew up in Kingston, Pa. She lived in Chester Twp. for seventeen years before moving to Tewksbury Twp. in 2005. Mrs. McLellan was a graduate of Wyoming Valley Homeopathic Hospital, Wilkesbarre. Pa. in 1949 and also graduated from Cornell University in 1974 as a Nurse Practitioner. She was a Staff Nurse and Nurse Practitioner at Overlook Hospital, Summit before joining Morristown Memorial Hospital in 1980 where she was Director of Nursing at the hospital's Center for Addictive Illnesses until her retirement in 1992. One friend and colleague from CAI wrote in a recent letter to Blanche, "You were such an important part of CAI. It was a highly professional , forward thinking, clinically advanced organization and a place of warmth, encouragement, dignity and respect.and your interest in each and every person suffused CAI." Presently a member of the Zion Lutheran Church, Oldwick, Mrs. McLellan had been a member of St. John's Lutheran Church, Summit for thirty-two years. She served on the church council and church school and was an active member of the church choir. Blanche was an inspiration to others as she traveled through her journey with cancer. She was encouraging while also providing a healthy dose of realism. She showered her friends with love, a strong faith and the importance of friendship. One friend wrote that she had thought often of what she would say if she were to speak at Blanche's funeral. "I'm not sure about the whole sermon.but I do know that "Sprinkling Life with Love" would be the title." Survivors include her husband Dr. Arthur McLellan of Tewksbury Twp., two sons, Charles "Chuck" Rifendifer of Orlando, FL, Craig and his wife, Joan Rifendifer of Nazareth, Pa, a daughter, Sheryl and her husband, Andy Davies of Nobelsville, IN, a step-son, Dr. Robert McLellan and his wife, Lucy of Lebanon, NH and a step-daughter, Deborah McLellan and her husband, Eduardo Siqueira of Jamaica Plain, MA. She is also survived by her sister, Ruth Cain of Whitehall, PA, four grandchildren, Bethany & Evan Davies and David and Samantha Rifendifer and two step grandchildren, Quinby and Eliza McLellan. A memorial service will be held on Saturday Sept. 12, 2009 at 1pm at the Zion Lutheran Church, 35 Old Turnpike Rd., (Rt. 517) Oldwick, NJ. Memorial gifts may be made to the Zion Lutheran Church, PO Box 41, Oldwick, NJ 08858, The Compassionate Care Hospice, 140 Littleton Rd., Ste 200, Parsippany, NJ 07054. Arrangements are by Bailey Funeral Home of Peapack. www.baileyfuneral.com