Jill McLean, 66 was welcomed into the arms of Jesus on Sunday, September 11, 2022with her daughter Suzana and sister Jane by her side.   After courageously battling mouth and jaw cancer for 18 months, Jill is at peace and finally “home,” pain and cancer free for the first time in her life.

Suzana McLean’s love for her Mom was unwavering, totally devoted to helping care for and always seeing to Jill’s needs above, her own.  Whether they were watching a Hallmark movie together (Jill’s favorite), setting up for a Craft Show, or decorating the house for a specific holiday, you’d often see them working side by side.  Suzana and Jill were not just daughter and Mom, they were also best of friends, that encouraged each other, had fun and laughed together.

From a very young age, Jill was always a lover of all animals. Her years spent in 4-H gave her the ok to collect bugs, bring a lamb, rabbit, chicken or alligator home under the disguise of a “4-H project,” and Mom would let her keep it!  This continued in life with her beloved Dachshunds and the many snakes, lizards and other reptiles that Suzana had as pets.

Jill’s passions in life were many.  Creating her whimsical & adorable Sculpey Clay figurines and ornaments kept her arthritic hands mobile and brought smiles to the many faces that bought them at her Craft Shows or received them as a gift.  As a wonderful baker, Jill will be fondly remembered for her Secret Brownies, Rice Krispie Treats, candied nuts and other delicious confections that always accompanied her to any gathering or place she visited…Jill never went anywhere empty handed!

Jill also loved her flower beds and was always willing to share plants from her yard with anyone, even someone she just met – who would most likely become one of her “Best Friends or Besties”!

She was the Best Mom to Suzana, Best Aunt to her nieces and nephew, great nieces and nephew and Best Friend to so many people.  Because, Jill took the TIME to be a good friend, always willing to lend a helping hand for a project of any size, teach anyone how to do something whether it be baking, making clay figures or tying the perfect bow.   Jill thrived on helping others celebrate a special Birthday, Bridal or Baby Shower in the style of a professional planner, complete with decorations, loads of homemade food and goodie bags for everyone to take home!

So many friends and so much love to share…that’s our Jillie!  When asking Jill’s friends what do you love most about Jill, the list kept growing!  Jill’s hugs, kindness, caring, generosity and SMILE (as kids, our Saintly Mom, did not tolerate frowning or pouty faces – we were scolded into Smile instead!) were all at the top of the list, followed by her unwavering positive attitude, big heart, thoughtfulness and compassion for others.  Jill truly spread love and kindness where ever she went and would light up a room by simply entering, usually with a bag of treasures and an armload of treats.  Jill’s Light, Love and Joyful giving will be missed by so many people.

One of Jill’s proudest accomplishments was being able to fund the building of a Church in India, strictly from the proceeds from her HUGE garage sales!    Speaking of garage sales…Jill LOVED a good bargain and was a frequent shopper at yard sales, estate sales, and even rescuing “treasures” set on the curb on clean-up day.

Jill’s “Collections” were many and Jill did nothing on a small scale!  “Go big or go home” comes to mind when thinking of the sheer number of Longaberger Baskets, Candy Jars, Pie Plates and Tea Pots to name just a few of Jill’s collections!

 Jill attended Watershed Church in Elgin, always giving generously of her time & culinary skills and sharing her bold Faith, Praise and Spirit for the Lord with others.

This story of who Jill really was would not be complete without including Halloween!  The house and yard were always decorated with numerous pumpkins, and Jill always dressed festively, ready to participate in the fun of Halloween Trick or Treating.  The McLean House was “the place” to go in the neighborhood once the word was out that Jill gave full sized candy bars, along with a pick from each of 15 or so baskets of what we used to refer to as “penny candy”, but is now a quarter!  Jill welcomed each group of kids into her entryway to choose their loot, took a photo of them in costume while offering a fresh baked cookie or rice krispie treat. She passed a hot cocoa or cider to the parents along with their child’s photo from the previous year!  When those first Trick or Treaters grew up and had kids of their own, they would drive for miles to bring their own children to Jill’s to have the same wonderful experience they had as a child. She helped create memories for so many she didn’t even know.

 Jill and Jim McLean, married for 34 years, spent many of those years having fun and taking wonderful vacations together as a family.  Jim’s decline in health and onset of Alzheimer’s left Jill as his sole caregiver for several years.  Upon her cancer diagnosis, she realized that she needed to make herself a priority for the first time in her life.  As was typical, in the face or adversity, Jill always had a positive attitude, never letting any hardship or challenge get her down.

Left with decades of fond and colorful memories are Jill’s siblings, Joyce (Michael) Kohler, Joe (Debbie) Bittner, Jane (Michael) Painter and Jonathan Bittner.  Nieces, Alise (Jeremy) Gaughan, Brianne (Patrick) Legge, Brittany (David) Ray, Brenna (Austin) Saltzman and nephew David (Michelle) Kohler learned the lessons of unconditional love, kindness and generosity from Auntie as did Jill’s many friends and extended family.

Thank you, dear friends, for loving Jill as much as her family does.  I think all of us have learned so much from Jill’s extremely kind, giving and caring nature.  May these memories and those special ones you hold close in your heart, bring you comfort, peace and joy as you remember Jill’s love for life and everyone around her.  Spread her love and kindness and help light up the world around you, by smiling, lending a helping hand or simply saying hi to a stranger!

Jill’s favorite month has always been October and everyone knows how much she LOVED Halloween!  So we felt it was only fitting to hold Jill’s Celebration of Life on Sunday, October 23rd so the date would allow everyone to enjoy Halloween as much as Jill always did!  This will also give Suzana the opportunity to carry on Jill’s tradition of making their house an Over the Top Stop for Halloween Trick or Treating!

We officially have Jill’s Celebration of Life set for: 
Sunday, October 23^rd, 2022
Visitation: 2-4 pm
Service: 4 pm sharp
AT: Watershed Church
500 Church Road, Elgin, Illinois
We hope you can join us to celebrate Jill’s life.

In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to “Jill McLean’s Estate” via check or GoFundMe at: https://gofund.me/2d8b4e10    Your generosity will be used for Jill’s numerous medical bills and expenses incurred during her cancer journey…and maybe some Halloween Candy!