April 9, 1926 ~ October 16, 2023 (age 97)
Eloise Albright McLean, age 97, of Lake Waccamaw, passed away peacefully at her home on Monday, October 16, 2023, having lived a wonderful life. Eloise was born on Second Creek in Rowan County on April 9, 1926, and was the oldest of five children. Her parents were the late Jesse Thomas Albright and Charity Marie Dobbins. In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her husband, Francis Dayton (Mac) McLean, Jr. and an infant son, John Thomas McLean.
Eloise 
graduated from Cleveland High School in 1943. After graduation, she was most proud of her work as a telephone operator at Camp McCall during WWII. Mac and Eloise were married in 1947 and moved to Lake Waccamaw in 1951 after Mac was transferred to Columbus County with the NC Highway Patrol. Eloise held an office position at the Woodlands Division of Federal Paper Board Company and retired in 1988 after 27 years of service. After retirement, Eloise was delighted to work part time at the newly constructed Rube McCray Memorial Library in Lake Waccamaw. In 2005, Eloise moved to Arbor Acres Retirement Community in Winston-Salem, NC where she lived for 15 years until she returned home.
Eloise was very active in the lives of her children and in the community. Among her many roles, she was a Girl Scout leader, a PTA officer, served on the Board of Directors for the Lake Waccamaw Depot Museum and on the Human Growth Foundation Board. Eloise was a true southern lady who lived her life with courage, grace, dignity and charm. She was a gifted entertainer and was well known for hosting dinner parties and waffle breakfasts that were enjoyed by many.
Left to cherish her memory are her son; Francis Dayton McLean, III (Regis) of Concord, NC; three daughters, Susan McLean MacIntosh (Jeff) of Winston-Salem, NC; Rosemary McLean Dorsey (Ricky) of Lake Waccamaw, NC; and Eloise McLean Zecchini (Jim) of Virginia Beach, VA; six grandchildren McLean MacIntosh, Collin MacIntosh, Will Dorsey, Frank McLean, Isabella Zecchini and James Zecchini and one great-grandchild, Frances Eloise MacIntosh.
The family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to Eloise’s dedicated and loving caregiver team: Ahvon Antone, Latosha Shipman, Tonjua Howard, Devoria Anders, Joyce Patterson, Alexis
Black and the staff at Lower Cape Fear LifeCare.
A funeral service will be held on Saturday, October 21, 2023, in the McKenzie Mortuary Chapel at 2:00 pm. Burial will follow at Galeed Baptist Church Cemetery, Bladenboro, NC. The family will receive friends from 12:30 pm – 1:45 pm prior to the service.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Friends of the Rube McCray Memorial Library, 301 Flemington Drive, Lake Waccamaw, NC 28450, or the Lake Waccamaw Depot Museum, P. O. Box 386, Lake Waccamaw, NC 28450, or Lower Cape Fear LifeCare, 206 Warrior Trail, Whiteville, NC 28472.
McKenzie Mortuary, 112 Jefferson Street, Whiteville, NC is serving the McLean family.
