Jeffrey David McLean

Jeff McLean, a beloved partner, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend, passed away on May 31, 2025, in Port Townsend, Washington. Diagnosed with cancer in 2021, Jeff surpassed medical expectations and continued to embrace his too-brief life with characteristic humor and grit. He is deeply missed.

Jeff was born in Houston, Texas on March 22, 1958, and spent most of his childhood in Darien, Connecticut. A loyal friend from an early age, he remained in touch with classmates from Tokeneke Elementary and Darien High School throughout his life. Growing up on the shores of Long Island Sound, Jeff developed a deep and lasting love for sailing and for the natural world—especially anything related to the ocean. He studied geology, anthropology, and archaeology at Occidental College in Los Angeles, where he especially enjoyed fieldwork on glaciers in Alaska and at Pueblo ruins in New Mexico. His time at Oxy was filled with discovery, adventure, and enduring friendships. A voracious reader since childhood, Jeff read several books at once each week of his life. His deep commitment to public libraries led him to complete graduate studies in Library Science at the University of Washington, after which he served as a reference librarian. In his final week, Jeff designed his own memorial card and included one of his favorite pieces of advice: “Books are wings. Take flight.”

Jeff’s lifelong passion for travel began early—he received his first passport at age five—and he went on to explore the world widely and joyfully. In his twenties, while traveling solo in Mexico, he met Dian Campbell and they soon became life partners. They built a life together in the Pacific Northwest—first in Seattle, and later in Port Townsend, where they designed and he helped to build their dream home. Together, they traveled by train, plane, boat, bike, hiking trail, and even hot-air balloon, across the U.S. and to dozens of countries around the world. Among their most cherished destinations were Kyoto, Japan—where they lived in the 1980s—and Hanalei, Hawai‘i, where they took a final trip just months before his passing. Jeff often quoted a favorite saying: “See the world before you leave it.”

Jeff’s many passions and talents included sailing, hiking, reading, talking, woodworking, repairing things, laughing, movie-watching, genealogy, birdwatching, card playing, biking, cooking and eating--all with unabashed joy and curiosity. He was a devoted listener, a source of honest advice, and a deeply compassionate presence to those around him. Though fiercely independent and private, Jeff’s love for his friends and family was wholehearted and without reservation. Known for his humor, irreverence, and self-deprecating wit, Jeff often quipped that he was “frequently wrong… but never in doubt.” In later years, his phone greetings often began with a lighthearted shout: “Voice of Reason!” (A shift from earlier days of leaving terrible jokes on his answering machine, often beginning, “So, a horse walks into a bar…”). Jeff approached life’s challenges with honesty, clarity, and courage. He remained in control, and deeply himself, to the end.

Jeff McLean is survived by his partner of 43 years, Dian Campbell of Port Townsend; sister Debby McLean (Keith Kearney) of Darien, Connecticut; brother John McLean (Sue) of Darien; brothers-in-law Mark Campbell (Danette) of Trenton, Kentucky, and Duane Campbell (Deborah) of Round Rock, Texas; sisters-in-law Gwen Rising Sun of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Joyce Campbell-Dewitt (Doug) of Mundelein, Illinois; and Juli Burnell of Beaver Creek, Ohio; and beloved nephews and niece Jack (Kathy), Mac, Peter, Alex, John Mark, Rowan, and Kess, and great niece Lyra.

A Celebration of Jeff’s life will be held at a later date. Donations in Jeff’s name may be made to Jefferson Land Trust (saveland.org), Port Townsend Marine Science Center (ptmsc.org) or Habitat for Humanity of East Jefferson County (habitatejc.org).