Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Thais McLelland

Thais Erwin McLelland, 95, of Prescott, died September 4, 2005, at Medical Park Hospital in Hope.

She was born in Long Beach, Calif., to William Edgar and Alta Martin Erwin on June 6, 1910. She came to Nevada County when she was three-years-old and lived in a number of communities within the county as her parents were school teachers. The family moved to the Redland Community in 1924.

She graduated from Prescott High School and attended Ouachita Baptist College for two years. While a student at Ouachita she attended a revival led by the Rev. George W. Truett and made her public profession of faith in Christ. Shortly after she joined First Baptist Church in Prescott where she has been a member for 79 years.

In 1928 she married Morrison McLelland and moved to his family farm in Redland Community. They were married for more than 59 years and Mrs. McLelland continued to live there, after his death in 1988, until June of this year.

In 1946, Mrs. McLelland began teaching first grade at Prescott Elementary School and taught there for 25 years. Along with teaching and raising her family Mrs. McLelland completed work on her college degree at Henderson State University. She was active in her church, was a member of Delta Kappa Gamma, Retired Teachers Association and the Daughters of the American Revolution.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband and daughters, Emma Jean McLellan and Patricia McLelland Rowe and son-in-law, Doug Burley.

She is survived by her brother, Dave Erwin of Millville, N.J.; her daughter, Peggy McLelland Burley of Kingwood, Texas; her son, John McLelland and wife Dawn of Prescott and her son-in-law, Sam A. Rowe of Alvin, Texas; her grandchildren, Mark Rowe and wife Joan Calgary of Alberta, Canada, David Rowe and wife Susan of Indianapolis, Ind., Elizabeth Rowe of New York City, John Rowe and wife Amanda of Richmond, Va., Stephanie Demaree and husband Terry of Kingwood, Texas, Brent Burley and wife Linda of Houston, Texas, Ross Burley and wife Ramona of Kingwood, Jacque McLelland of Kansas City, Mo., Jane McLelland of Plano, Texas, Tracy McLelland and wife Leann of Hot Springs and Jennifer Henry and husband James of Tulsa, Okla. She is also survived by 13 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services were at 10 a.m. Wednesday, September 7, at First Baptist Church in Prescott with interment in Liberty Cemetery by Shackelford Funeral Home of Prescott.