Christene 'Babe' McLean (McKeagan)
Born In: Sydney
Born: December 9th, 1920
Passed in: Sydney
Passed on: January 17th, 2015
Christene 'Babe' (McKeagan) McLean, 94, of King’s Road, Sydney, formerly of 406 Cottage Rd., passed away, Saturday, January 17, 2015, at Harbourstone Enhanced Care, following a lengthy illness with Alzheimer Disease.
Born in Sydney, December 9, 1920, she was the youngest daughter of the late Dan and Jessie (MacEachern) McKeagan and the last surviving member of the McKeagan family.
Upon graduation from Sydney Academy in 1938 and the Empire Business College in 1939, Babe was employed as a stenographer in the Audit Department with DOSCO in the General Office. During WWII, Sydney Harbour was a very busy port, as merchant ships loaded supplies and fuel before embarking on their risky passage overseas. Babe was required to work many overtime hours typing invoices for the convoys. In order to prepare the invoices as soon as possible, Babe was presented with the first electric typewriter east of Montreal. She recalled how nervous she was as the management officials gathered around to watch her use it for the first time. As was the requirement of the day, Babe resigned her position at DOSCO upon her marriage to Doug McLean in 1948. She was later employed as a legal secretary for Russell MacLellan, the late Warren MacDonald and Ken Haley. She was a long time member of St. Andrew’s United Church before its closing. Babe enjoyed skating from a young age up until the age of 80 at the Old Sydney Forum, Centre 200, and Coxheath rinks, noting more water on the ice always made better skating. She was a yearly member of the YMCA and took part in playing tennis, curling and bowling. Babe and Doug made many trips overseas to take part in celebrations of D-Day in France and the liberation of anniversaries in Holland, visiting with friends Doug made while serving in the Army during WWII.
She was predeceased by parents, Dan and Jessie McKeagan; sisters, Ellen (Dan) MacGillivary and Flora (Fraser) Macaulay; a sister in infancy and brothers, Jack, Earl, Clary and Lauchie.
Babe is survived by her husband of 67 years, Doug; daughter, Nancy McLean; granddaughters, Sara, Victoria, BC and Laura Bryden, Halifax, NS.
Visitation will take place at Sydney Memorial Chapel on Wednesday January 21 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Funeral service will be held in the chapel on Thursday at 2 p.m., with Rev. Thomas Whent officiating. Interment will take place in Oakfield Cemetery, Mira, where her great-grandfather and mother are buried, Donald McKeagan, a native of North Uist, Scotland, who migrated to Marion Bridge the year 1828.
Many thanks to Dr. John Archibald for his dedicated visits to Babe during her illness and to the caring and professional attention she received while a resident at Harbourstone Enhanced Care.
Words of comfort may be sent to the family at www.sydneymemorialchapel.ca or e-mail sydneymemorialchapel@ns.sympatico.ca.
