Darcy McClelland

Darcy McClelland, age 73, passed away peacefully June 10, 2024, after a sudden and short battle with cancer. Darcy was born to Bramlette and Virginia McClelland in Houston, Texas in 1951. She was the first of five siblings, eventually becoming cherished big sister to two brothers and two sisters. Darcy graduated from Memorial Sr High School in 1969 at the top of her class. Like other free and rebellious spirits of the era, Darcy then decided to sow some wild oats, first following the Grateful Dead to California and then later exploring life in New York City. Being quite a beauty and a glamour girl, she also did modeling during this era. But Darcy was also extremely intelligent and missed home, so she returned to Texas and studied civil engineering at the University of Houston, subsequently becoming a professional technical writer for many years. As technical as she was, Darcy was also very creative and curious. So she put her career on hold, and took some time-out to travel around Greece, Australia and Indonesia. Back in Houston, she nurtured her creative talents, dabbling in water color painting and also in fixing up and reselling old homes. When her father’s health began to decline, she became devoted chauffeur and gal Friday to him at McClelland Ranch, where she eventually took up residence and remained until her death. At McRanch, Darcy was able to focus fully on her passions. She loved star gazing, as well as documenting prized native plant and tree specimens on the property, and photographing flowers, butterflies and all kinds of wildlife. She also more deeply developed her creative talents, moving from painting into gemology and jewelry making. Having been a cat-lover all her life, Darcy also surprisingly developed a new love for stray dogs with a never-ending coterie of dog companions. When not otherwise occupied, Darcy’s passion was reading fiction and doing crossword puzzles – or any word puzzle she could find. In late December 2023, Darcy began to have difficulty in finding the right words and soon learned this was due to a brain tumor. Although it was completely removed and she made a remarkable recovery, the tumor’s unexpected and rapid return made Darcy’s battle unachievable. Darcy’s family is deeply saddened by her death, but we know her spirit is at peace now, perhaps out amongst the stars checking out space stations or on the wing of a white egret perched on Lake Jinni at McRanch. One thing is certain -- life at McRanch will never be the same without her presence. Darcy was preceded in death by her parents, Bramlette and Virginia McClelland. She is survived by her two brothers (Tom and Jeff), two sisters (Terry and Martha), seven nieces and nephews (Scott, Brooke, Tommy, Matthew, Kelsey, Heather, and Joseph), a grand-niece (Sunny) and grand-nephew (James), and her cherished canines (Shyster and Tig). A celebration of Darcy’s life will be held with friends and family at a future date, to be announced. You are invited to leave a written condolence at either www.shmfh.com or www.legacy.com, where in lieu of flowers, we suggest planting a tree in her memory.

Darcy McClelland

April 19, 1951 - June 10, 2024