More detail on this person: David Blinn McLean,
65, a resident of Gassville, servant of Christ,
loving husband, devoted father and grandfather,
beloved brother and uncle, and cherished friend to
many passed away early the morning of May 16,
2011. He was born on July 7, 1945, in Hampton,
Virginia, the son of John Franklin and Fannie
Alice Miller McLean.
The family will receive friends from 5:00 p.m. to
7:00 p.m., Friday at Conner-Hankins Funeral Home,
2833 Highway 62 West, Mountain Home. Visitation
will be from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
The funeral service will be held at the Fellowship
Church on 6th Street in Mountain Home at 2:00
PM, Saturday, May 21, with Pastor Shane Milner
officiating. Burial with military honors provided
by the United States Army Honor Guard will be
Kirby's Tucker Memorial Cemetery near Gassville
under the direction of Conner-Hankins Funeral
Home.
David enlisted in the Army in April of 1967 and
served in Vietnam, where his skills and dedication
as a helicopter pilot and technician earned him
the Meritorious Service Medal , Master Army
Aviation Badge, Vietnam Service Medal with three
bronze stars and many others. After his honorable
discharge from active duty, David joined the
Illinois Army National Guard, where he served for
20 years as a maintenance officer and test pilot,
achieving the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 5.
During his time with the National Guard, David
coordinated and piloted many missions, including
providing rescue and aid to victims of natural
disasters, flying medical evacuations from Central
Illinois to regional trauma centers, and
deployment to Panama in the 1990s. After retiring
from the National Guard, David relocated to
Gassville, Arkansas with his wife, Penny, and his
youngest son, Joshua. Ever devoted to children,
David and Penny felt called to open their home to
children in need as foster parents, and as leaders
of their church youth group. David's strong faith,
combined with his "never quit" attitude and his
ever-present sense of humor never wavered, even
when faced with the diagnosis and rapid
progression of cancer. He is preceded in death by
his parents, John Franklin McLean and Fannie Alice
Miller; and his brothers Maynard, Dayton, Gene,
and Herbert McLean, Survivors include his wife of
30 years, Penny; two sons, Brian Barger and
Joshua McLean; two daughters and sons-in-law,
Jeanette and Jay Scivally and Cheryl and Dustin
Newcomb; a brother, Gordon McLean; a sister,
Marita Ball; nine grandchildren and many nephews
and nieces.
Memorials may be made to CMC Hospice.
The online obituary and guestbook are available at
www.conner-hankinsfuneralhome.com
Published in Baxter Bulletin from May 19 to May
21, 2011
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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