Frances Irene (Crawford) McLain
Obituaries
Daily Sentinal page 8C - April 24, 2022
Frances Irene
McLain
October 29, 1926 - April 15, 2022
Frances “Irene” McLain,
of Grand Junction, passed
away April 15, 2022, at
HopeWest Hospice Care
Center. She was 95.
Irene was born October
29, 1926, in Leadville,
Colorado, to March and Eila (Young) Crawford. She
spent her childhood there, and graduated from Leadville
High School in 1945. In the summer before her senior
year, she began working as a maid at the Hotel Colorado
in Glenwood Springs. It was there that she met Conley
“Mac” Dean McLain, and they were married on August
23, 1947 in Eagle, Colorado. While Mac worked in the
oilfield, he and Irene moved around Montana, Utah, and
various towns in Wyoming including Casper, before
settling in Grand Junction where she spent the last 49
years.
Irene volunteered with her cousin, Irene Kohler, at
the Colorado Welcome Center in Fruita for 20 years.
She loved sitting on her back patio playing Skipbo
and other card games while watching and feeding
the hummingbirds. She was also an avid reader and
gardener, and enjoyed hiking, crocheting, and playing
Scrabble.
Irene is survived by her son, Darrell (Char) McLain,
of Bradenton, Florida; granddaughters, Kathryn
(Troy) Carter, of Shoreline, Washington; Karen (John)
Sargent, of Lynnwood, Washington; Heather McLain
and Laura (Toby) Thomas, both of Sarasota, Florida,
and great-grandchildren, Atticus and Lelaina Carter of
Shoreline, Washington, and Oliver and Logan Sargent
of Lynnwood, Washington. She is preceded in death by
her parents, March and Eila Crawford; husband, Conley
Dean McLain; daughter, Donna Bradley; brother, Lyle
Crawford, and sister, Iola Dell.
No services are planned. In lieu of flowers, memorial
contributions may be made in Irene’s name to HopeWest
Hospice 3090B N. 12th Street, Grand Junction,
