It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Olive Louella (McInnish) McClellan. Olive was born on November 22, 1925, and transitioned out of this life on November 19, 2025. Through her journey of 99 (nearly 100!) years, she touched many lives with her boundless love and friendship. Olive was born on November 22, 1925, to the late Zemma Lee (Forrester) and James Herman McInnish in Cowarts, Alabama, where she was raised in a simple and loving home. She graduated from Ashford High School and attended the University of Alabama for a year, then returned home when her brother and other US soldiers were called to WWII. In 1946, she married her sweetheart, Roy C. McClellan. They began their life-long journey together in Jakin, Georgia, where he practiced his carpentry skills in the family cabinetry shop, Jakin Novelty Works, while she took care of the home. They had two daughters: Olivia Ellen ("Ellen") in 1948 and Elizabeth Ann ("Beth") in 1953. Although Roy enjoyed woodworking, he had his heart set on a career in science and technology. In 1960, he and the family moved to Mobile, where he became an electronics technician for the Federal Aviation Agency (now Administration). Olive found her spiritual home at Grace Methodist Church, where she served for decades as pianist and organist. She shared her passion for music and applied the skills passed down from her mother by teaching piano to numerous children in the community, including her daughters. After her daughters finished high school, Olive went back to work as a bookkeeper at the Dumas Wesley Community Center in Mobile, where she built life-long friendships. A lover of animals, she cherished her own furry kids and the many "grand-dogs" and "grand-cats" that Ellen and Beth brought into the family over the years. Olive's intelligence, curiosity, and plucky spirit served her well. After Roy passed in 1993, she continued to live on her own for years, enjoying the company of friends and her church family. Following her retirement from Dumas Wesley and as her eyes began to fail, however, she made the decision to move to assisted living at Wesley Place on Honeysuckle in Dothan in 2015, to be closer to family. Her capacity for warmth and caring was without limit, and she formed numerous new friendships there while maintaining contact with old friends. The day before her death the staff at Wesley Place threw an early birthday celebration in honor of her nearly 100 years, where she was showered with love and affection by friends, staff, and family members. She surely carried that love with her as she passed on from this life. In addition to her parents and husband, Olive was preceded in death by her daughter Ellen, her brother, James F. McInnish, and special furry friends Pasha, Rusty, and Daisy. She is survived by her daughter Beth and grand-dog Jet, nieces and nephews: Dianne Bostwick, Kenneth Green, Steve (Anita) McClellan, Jim (Cindy) McInnish, Jess (Jane) McInnish, and Jeannie Odom, along with numerous cousins. The family is deeply grateful for the compassionate care Olive received from the Wesley Place on Honeysuckle staff and the Gentiva Hospice team.
November 22, 1925 — November 19, 2025
Family and friends are invited to honor Olive's life at a visitation on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. at Mobile Memorial Gardens Funeral Home, 6040 Three Notch Rd., Mobile, Alabama. A graveside service will follow at 2:00 p.m. in Mobile Memorial Gardens Cemetery.
