Daniel Alan MacLean

Daniel Alan MacLean (81), beloved husband of 58 years to Flora (nee Varvares), and devoted father to Theodore (Ted) and Jason, passed away peacefully at his home in Norwood Park, Chicago, on Sunday, January 29^th, after battling Parkinson’s Disease for 18 years. 

Born and raised in Roseland on Chicago’s South Side, Dan graduated from Fenger High School and earned his bachelor’s degree in Political Science at Western Illinois University in Macomb, where he was Senior class president, co-chair of the Student Union Board and member of the Theta Xi fraternity.  It was there that he met Flora, the love of his life, a Greek-American girl from the North Side of Chicago who would change his life forever. 

After graduation, Dan and Flora were married at Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church, moved into their first apartment in Roseland, began building their family and started to develop a network of lifelong friends, who formed an incredible, supportive community that enriched their lives for over six decades. Inspired by President Kennedy to give back to his country, Dan worked as a case worker at the Cook County Department of Public Aid before deciding to continue his education at the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration, where he received his master’s in Social Work. While in graduate school, Dan spent his evenings working in the psychiatric unit at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park, to pay rent, put food on the table and pay his college tuition.

Dan’s early years with Flora were defined by the social activism of the time. They participated in a number of Chicago’s civil rights marches and attended the infamous Chicago Seven 1968 demonstration at Grant Park, with Ted in tow, hopeful for change. Through it all, they were infused with the love and support of extended family, with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins on the North and South Sides of Chicago, as well as those in Saugatuck, MI and St. Louis, MO.   

Desiring better schools and places to freely ride their bikes (Flora did not yet drive), Dan and Flora decided to move their young family to Des Plaines where Dan took a job as Hospital Administrator and Director of Social Services at Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village, where he helped develop and build their rehabilitation and psychiatric hospital over the course of two decades. Discovering a love for public speaking and writing, Dan eventually found his dream job at Communispond, an executive sales and training firm, from which he ultimately retired, capping off a twenty year career with the firm. However, his secret passion was writing, and he wrote countless short stories and poems, some of which he eventually published and many of which he loved to share with his grandchildren.

Dan was brilliant, hard-working, humble, funny, curious, caring and loved by all who knew him. Throughout his life, Flora was always at his side, encouraging him and ensuring everything they did was filled with joy. His great pride was the time he spent with his sons (and later their wives and grandchildren), enjoying all types of activities including school projects, sporting events (he was overjoyed when the Cubs won the world series),“camping” in the forest preserves, musical concerts and Indian Guides, all while teaching his boys to properly detail cars, repair things around the house and the reasons to always carry a handkerchief.  Dan also served on the boards of Roycemore School in Evanston and the Norwood Park Historical Society, a center of community pride in the neighborhood they have called home for the past 34 years. He enjoyed reading, listening to jazz, travelling, playing board games with his grandkids and eating ice cream.

Dan was preceded in death by his parents Marguerite and Maxwell MacLean. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his brother Stephen A. MacLean of Chicago, sons Ted (Joanne Liautaud) of Brookline, MA and Jason (Lauren) of Scarsdale, NY, and five amazing grandchildren: Sophia, Jasper, Oliver, Skylar and Benjamin MacLean. 

We are forever grateful for the tender, loving and professional support and attention Dan received from caregivers Rico Almodiel and Ziggy Yntig and their families, as well as the wonderful healthcare staff at the Total Senior Care agency, all of whom have given so much time and energy to his well being.

Visitation will be held on Friday, February 3^rd from 4:00-8:00 PM and funeral services will be held on Saturday, February 4^th at 11:00AM both at Kolbus-May Funeral Home located at 6857 West Higgins Avenue, Chicago, IL 60656. The service on Saturday may be viewed live or recorded at Memory Eternal Facebook page.

In lieu of flowers, donations are welcomed to: WBEZ Chicago Public Radio (https://www.wbez.org), New Hope Community Food Pantry (https://www.newhopefoodpantry.com) or any food pantry of your choice. 

May his memory be eternal.