Celebrating the life of Bill McLaren

On 3/14/25, our beloved dad, William McLaren, passed away after a long hospitalization. Bill was a wonderful brother, father, grandfather, cousin, uncle, and friend who touched the lives of so many people throughout his life. He leaves behind his children [Terry McLaren (Leah Clark), Alex McLaren (Yoshimi Yoshida), godchildren (Diane Salome-Diaz and Dennis Velasco), grandchildren (Alanna Dinh and Sophia and Caroline McLaren), cousins, nieces and nephews and a large community of friends.

Bill dedicated his life to social services and the wellbeing of others. When he decided that life as a Franciscan brother was not in his future, he studied social work and started a family. As a therapist, he spent many years helping people with their problems. He also supported others in recovery. Dad taught us to volunteer our time and care about others. Our house was usually the designated weekend hangout for our close friends and he welcomed extra people at dinner or midnight Christmas mass because his definition of family was so broad. He even grew to love the multitude of pets that we brought into the house over the years despite his initial objections and his allergies.

Bill enjoyed travel and new experiences. As his children grew into adulthood, Bill visited Alex in several different countries as he served in the State Department and Terry as her education and career took her to California and then Wisconsin. He also loved being a grandpa to Alanna, Sophia, and Caroline.

This was hardly Bill's first medical crisis- he was a fighter who survived quintuple bypass surgery 20 years ago, a broken back before that, and a stroke in 2020. Until recently, the whole family was hopeful and expecting to celebrate his return to his Douglaston home. Unfortunately, he could not recover from the pneumonia that made it nearly impossible to breathe.

Bill loved his neighborhood and the friendly people he had gotten to know in his years in Douglaston. It warmed our hearts to see him greeted by so many people when we were out and about with him. He enjoyed getting visits from relatives, friends, and neighbors and was an excellent communicator even after his speech was impacted by the stroke. It was amazing how much he could express himself despite his now-limited vocabulary.

We are all devastated by Bill’s loss and were not completely prepared for the cost of funeral arrangements. We want to give Bill the memorial he deserves, to honor his memory.

Here is a link to the fundraiser for Bill. https://www.gofundme.com/manage/help-honor-bill-mclarens-life-and-legacy

Please consider donating, as any amount will truly help our family during this difficult time. Thank you all so much for the prayers, support, visits and good wishes extended to Bill and his family.

Sincerely,

Terry McLaren (Leah Clark), Alex McLaren (Yoshimi Yoshida), Maria McLaren,