Alton Wayne McLean, lovingly known to many as “Coach”, passed away just after his 86th birthday, August 31, 2017.
Celebration of Life Service 10:00AM Saturday, September 9, 2017 at Lake Shore Funeral Home, 5201 Steinbeck Bend in Waco
Wayne was born August 25, 1931 in the little town of Merkel, Texas to the late Vance McLean and Gladys Garner. After graduating high school Wayne attended TCU and graduated with his Bachelor’s degree in Education in 1954. Wayne met the love of his life, Bobbye Ann Dudley, while having lunch with his grandmother in a café in Merkel. Wayne and Ann were married December 20, 1954.
Wayne enriched the lives of many students and athletes over the years, working as a teacher and coach in the Waco ISD from 1954 to 1984. He was a beloved football, basketball and track coach at Tennyson Middle School, Jefferson Moore High School and St. Louis Catholic Elementary School. Having been a coach for so many years, Wayne enjoyed going to as many games as he could, well into his 70’s. He always had a smile on his face when spending time with his grandkids.
Wayne is preceded in death by his parents, Vance McLean and Gladys Garner and his grandmother, Millie Milliken.
Wayne leaves to continue his legacy his loving wife of 62 years, Ann McLean of Waco; children, Mike McLean and wife Valoree of Florida, Tim McLean and wife Teresa of Lubbock, and Kelly Kornegay of China Spring; grandchildren, Justin Adler, Saoirse McLean, Ashley Miles, Krista Massey, Matt McLean, Jordan Kornegay, Kayleigh Kornegay and Jayden McLean; great-granddaughters, Tayler Miles and Kendall Massey, along with a host of loving family members, friends and former students.
Lake Shore Funeral Home & Cremation Services
Place of Service: Lake Shore Funeral Home Chapel , 5201 Steinbeck Bend; Waco, TX 76708
Print Obituary & Condolences
RIP Coach…
Mike & Tim, my thoughts and prayers are with you in your time of sorrow.
Thank you
My sincere condolences to Mr. McLean’s wife and family. He was one of my teachers at Tennyson Junior High in the 1970s. I remember him saying he was from Merkel – a town I’d never heard of, even though I was a third-generation Texan on both sides of my family. He made learning fun, because he made the class and subject fun. He had such a great sense of humor. May he rest in peace, Coach McLean.
Please correct my last sentence to this: Rest in peace, Coach McLean.
Thank You Woodrow
I’m so sorry for your loss. I had Coach McLean for a class at Tennyson in the 70s. He left a lasting impression on me and many of my classmates.
He enriched our lives, he was our friend , our father, our teacher and our mentor. I knew Coach McLean for a long time. Thru my high school years while at Waco High, I got to see him at cross town rival Jefferson Moore. Wasn’t much later than that , he was officiating city wide softball. He was friends with my dad Henry Farmer and dad’said sidekick Gordon Campbell. With both of them gone now, the good lord knew that there was a great educator in Coach McLean. I’m sure all 3 of them back together means trouble for guys like the “babe” and mantle,,,, lol he was such a good person asking about your family. He was as real as it got, being a father , and friend to all of us whose lives he touched. I send my condolences, my prayes, watch over his family Lord, you have just received someone special there like so many others, But there is only one Coach Mclean, he will live in our hearts forever, thank you all for sharing him with us I will miss him most
Coach McLean will be greatly missed. He loved his students and they loved him.
RIP Coach
My sincerest condolences to Ann, Mike, Tim, Kelly and related family. “Coach” McLean was an excellent teacher, a wonderful coaching colleague, and my friend. I first met “Coach” in 1969. He was at Tennyson Junior High and I was in my first year teaching and coaching at South Junior High School. As fate would have it, Coach and I would later teach and coach together at Jefferson-Moore High School. Our students loved and respected him. I gained a lot of coaching wisdom from him. Losses were always “lessons” to coach, and we all learned from those lessons. He always had a smile on his face and a story to share. Rest in peace, Coach. –Gilbert Montemayor, History Teacher and Head Baseball Coach, Jefferson-Moore High School, 1973 – 1980.
Thank You Woodrow
Thanks Coach
So many good memories! So many laughs! Wow, to the family and former students I share my deepest condolences! Ann, Kelly, thanks for sharing such a wonderful man with so many!
Wanda Thompson-Brooks
Sincere condolences to the family. I had the privilege to know Coach McLean for a long time, mostly as a basketball official. He had such a great sense of humor, epic stories, and an engaging personality. He will be missed by all who knew him.
I knew Coach McLean as an American History teacher and football coach at Tennyson 66 – 69. His witty style and insistence on class participation make for an easy learning experience. Somehow, the prettiest girls always made it to the front row! He coached the greatest jr high school football game ever witnessed in Waco in the Tennyson – Lake Air city championship game in fall’68. I know my teammates will remember the ‘Sandy Special’ he put in just for that game and one time use. His encouragement in the classroom, the halls and the practice field helped instill in me a self confidence both on and off the field.
I feel privileged to have known him.
I got to know Wayne in the Waco Basketball Officiating Chapter. He was always a lot of fun & up beat about his teams at Tennyson. Coach McLean like to officiate at the small schools where they spoiled us with great homemade pies & sandwiches. Coach was a great guy that always had a good story to tell.