Florence Southerland MacLean, 89, of Springfield, Ohio, born Jan 4, 1919, in Memphis, TN; passed away Thursday November 20, 2008. Preceded in death by her parents; James and Sarah Julia (Washburn) Southerland, originally of Mark Tree, AR, and later of Charlotte, NC; a brother, James, Jr.; her husband of 53 years, Lt. Col. Lynwood A. MacLean, Jr (USAF-ret), in 1992.

She is survived by three sons, Lynwood A. MacLean, III (Mary Remsberg MacLean) of Eagan, MN; Lawrence D. MacLean (Lauralyn H. MacLean) of Seneca, SC; and John D. MacLean of Springfield, OH; and daughter Mary MacLean-Brooks of Springfield, OH: three granddaughters, Jennifer Lynn MacLean of Atlanta, GA; Shelley Belle MacLean of Seneca, SC; and Margaret MacLean Kozar (Ryan) of Hugo, MN; brothers John C. (Lucille) Southerland of NC and David L. (Reba) Southerland of FL and sister Margaret S. Jones of TX; and many nieces and nephews.

She graduated from Murphy High School and attended Huntington College, both in Montgomery, AL, and graduated from Wittenberg University in 1982 with a BA in American Studies.

Before her marriage she was a business secretary. During WW II she was a clerk and then a legal secretary in U.S. Civil Service at military bases in Alabama and South Carolina. Among the pilots who completed part of their flight training at the Walterboro, SC, base while she was there were some of the Tuskegee Airmen. Clark Gable and Jimmy Stewart also passed through the bases while in the U.S. Army Air Corps. In the early 1960’s she worked at Wright Patterson AFB in the Aerospace Technical Intelligence Center. Later she served as secretary to Prof. Alan Koppenhaver at Wittenberg Univ., which she recalled with great affection. She demonstrated her organizational and managerial skills in overseeing more than a dozen family moves associated with her husband’s assignments in the Air Force, especially enjoying tours in Germany and England.

She loved playing the piano at Sunday school and accompanying vocalists. She enjoyed tennis, sewing, painting, history, bridge, religion, genealogy, and music, especially sacred, classical, and opera. After her husband’s retirement, they enjoyed traveling, especially to Scotland and to museums and historic homes.

Member of Covenant Presbyterian Church and the Woman’s Town Club.

Visitation will be held from 4PM until time of service at 5PM Sunday November 23, 2008 in the JACKSON LYTLE WILLIAMS Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Paralyzed Veterans, Blind Veterans, or other veterans groups.