Robertson Brooke McLean

Bob McLean passed away on October 20th, at his home in Santa Cruz with family by his side. He was 86. Our Dad, Daddy, Grandad and Uncle Rob will be dearly missed.

Born on July 22, 1939, in Palo Alto, CA, Bob was a life-long resident of Santa Cruz County. He was the youngest son of Chuck & Hulda (Hoover) McLean. He and his two brothers were raised on Rancho del Oso, north of Davenport.  He attended Seaside School where his mother taught the local ranch kids. He graduated from Santa Cruz High School (1957), then attended Monterey Peninsula College where he met the love of his life, Jean Branstetter, on the bus. Bob joined the military soon after, and spent time at Fort Ord, CA and Fort Lewis, WA, where he eventually became a medic. It was during this time that Bob and Jean married. (In fact, he was AWOL returning to duty from his wedding due to fog at the San Francisco airport! Luckily, so was an officer!) They were married for 52 years. Together they raised a family and enjoyed dancing, antiquing, reading and traveling in their RV, especially visiting the grandkids. Bob also had a passion for trains, gardening, hunting, making jerky and collecting a variety of items. For many years, he could be found in his garden growing vegetables to give to all his neighbors and friends, or with his bucket and picker-upper picking up garbage along Morrissey. He was a member of Farm Bureau, NRA, The American Philatelic Society, as well as the Elks Lodge for many years.

After his military service, Bob worked for GTE/Sylvania in Santa Cruz, then commuted to Mountain View when the company relocated. After retiring from there, he decided he wasn’t finished yet and went to work for Comcast in Scotts Valley.

Bob is survived by his brother Charles (Mary) McLean of Penn Valley, CA; his son Bill McLean of Newberg, OR; daughter Judy (McLean) Briggs who recently returned to Santa Cruz from Washington State; daughter-in-law Judy (Moore) McLean of Eugene, OR; grandchildren Alexander and Robert McLean of Eugene, OR and Kyle Briggs of Renton, WA;  as well as many nieces, nephews and their children.  Bob was predeceased by his parents, brother Allan McLean, nephews John McLean and Ted McLean, and his dear wife Jean.

There will be no services at his request. The best ways to honor Bob are to experience nature, clean up your neighborhood and beyond, but especially, to dance.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hospice of Santa Cruz County, online at www.HospiceSantaCruz.org, mail to 940 Disc Dr., Scotts Valley, CA 95066, or the American Cancer Society, online at https://donate.cancer.org, mail to P.O. Box 6704, Hagerstown, MD 21741.