James Louis McLellan will be remembered this weekend for his life as father, husband, baseball coach and airplane mechanic.
McLellan, of Miami Lakes, was 91 when he died May 11 of congestive heart failure, his son Rodney McLellan told The Miami Laker.
The elder McLellan flew private planes for much of his life and one he once owned – a single-engine T 34 Mentor from the World War II era – will be flown over Miami Lakes United Methodist Church in tribute to him and his hobby during a memorial service on May 24.
“He was a founding member of the Miami Lakes Optimist Club and a founding member of Miami Lakes United Methodist Church,” Rodney McLellan said. “Back in the day, he played in baseball games between the coaches from the Miami Dolphins and the Optimist coaches.”
Born in Hialeah, McLellan attended Edison High School. He was drafted twice, his son said, first in the U.S. Airforce where he was a mechanic and Airman, 2nd Class, and then the U.S. Army, where he served as a Private and an air traffic controller, both during the Korean War.
Stateside, McLellan worked as an aircraft mechanic, opening his own firm, M&M Aircraft Services, in Medley.
His first wife JoAnne McLellan died in 2001. In 2003 he married America McLellan, who mourns his passing along with son Rodney, his wife Jamilee McLellan of Miramar and three adult grandchildren: Nicholas McLellan, Clara McLellan and Joelah Rodriguez.
Jim Hamilton, treasurer of the Optimist Club, said McLellan was “instrumental” in getting the organization started and was a charter member, coaching young players for a decade. That was when the Optimist Club used the old Graham Dairy milking barn that once stood at Northwest 67th Avenue and Miami Lakes Drive for practices.
“Even when he was not coaching, he’d give counsel and advice to the younger coaches,” Hamilton said.
About his friend, he said, “He was a really good person. He always had a smile. When you spoke to him, even if you didn’t know him well, you felt like he was a friend.
“He gave you his undivided attention. He was a gracious person, and someone you could count on.”
The memorial service on Saturday, May 24 at Miami Lakes United Methodist Church, 14800 NW 67th Ave., is open to the public and begins at 10 a.m. Friends are invited to join the family after the service, at 15800 Kingsmoor Way in Miami Lakes.