NorthwestJanuary 1, 2004

Longtime Kooskia area resident, Vestye Mae Clute McLean, died Monday, Dec. 29, 2003, at Grangeville. Mae had Parkinson's disease.

Mae was born in Pindall, Ark., on Nov. 18, 1918. When she was 5 months old, she moved to Idaho with her parents, John Leslie Clute and Elsie Moore Clute, in the spring of 1919.

Although her father had managed a sawmill for his father in Arkansas, in Idaho he tried his hand at ranching. Her parents bought a ranch east of Kooskia on Clear Creek, at the confluence with Big Cedar Creek. Though the family moved several times, they never sold the ranch that Mae treasured always.

At age 6, Mae moved with her family to McDowell, Mo., where her father operated another of his father's mills. They returned a year later, settling this time near Kooskia, where her father opened a planing mill and grain store.

Mae attended area schools, including the upper Clear Creek School on land her father donated to the school district and Eureka School near the mouth of Clear Creek. She also attended Kooskia Grade School and Kooskia High School. Mae and her sister, Ida Belle, earned straight A's and excelled on the high school women's basketball team, coached by Marcella Kraemer Parsell.

Mae enjoyed and excelled at swimming, dancing, fishing, volleyball and other sports.

In the mid 1930s, the family moved to Arkansas, where Mae graduated from high school. Upon returning to Idaho, Mae and her brother, Jasper, made their living falling trees with a crosscut saw.

On Oct. 11, 1940, she married Bryce McLean of Clearwater. They worked in the U.S. Naval Shipyard at Bremerton, Wash., during part of World War II. On their return to Idaho, Bryce primarily worked in the timber industry.

Mae often handled administrative matters, particularly when Bryce served as superintendent of the Clearwater sawmill and when they operated their own logging business. After Bryce suffered a severe logging injury, Mae and Bryce bought her parents' Clear Creek ranch.

Bryce worked for the Idaho County Road Department until his retirement. Mae did ranch work, such as milking cows, gardening (which she loved), canning and splitting 10 cords of firewood each autumn, something she continued until age 80.

Mae and Bryce had four children. All of the children attended the Clearwater, Stites or Kooskia schools and graduated from high school at Kooskia/Clearwater Valley, two as valedictorians.

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Mae valued education above most other human pursuits. She actively fought school consolidation and the resultant closure of country schools in the 1950s, believing that smaller schools benefited students.

She encouraged her younger brother to further his education and was very proud when he graduated first in his law school class from Gonzaga University and later, when he gave up a successful career with Boise Cascade to become dean of that law school.

As an older person, Mae continued to fish occasionally. She subscribed to and read four newspapers, loved to play pinochle, liked to travel, especially by car or train, and took great interest in Idaho and world history and politics.

An amateur writer, she wrote the history of her life growing up in Idaho, "The Cabin." This chronicled such events as the pre-dam salmon and steelhead runs in Big Cedar Creek, the gentle but mischievous humor of Nez Perce women, country school experiences and the first automobile sighting on Clear Creek.

Mae had a "sweet tooth" satisfied best by chocolate on ice cream.

Mae enjoyed family and friends, and provided cohesion and support to them. Most of all, she enjoyed her children, grandchildren and great- grandchildren, taking great pride in their accomplishments.

Survivors include her sisters and brothers, Linnie Clute Anderson Kidder of Grangeville, Giles Clute of Williamstown, Ken., Jasper Clute of Eugene, Ore., Caroline Clute Thomas of Clear Creek and Prof. John Clute of Spokane; her children, Capt. Douglas McLean, retired, of Payton, Colo., Mel McLean, of Culdesac, Cliff McLean of Grangeville and Joy McLean of Seattle and their spouses; 8 grandchildren; 8 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Mae was preceded in death by her husband, Bryce; an infant brother, Hilliard Devoe Clute; and her sister, Ida Belle Clute Wilson.

Donations may be made to the Elk City Wagon Road Committee on her behalf.

The funeral is at 11 a.m. Friday at Ternary Funeral Home in Kooskia.

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