Florence Mcclure

Florence Paula McClure passed away Wednesday, July 24th at the age of 93. Florence was born on January 4th, 1931, in Provo Utah, to Paul, a local doctor, and Marguerite (Barry) Westwood. She spent a lively childhood in Provo with her two brothers, Richard (Dick) and Ross, and her best friend Marilyn. During Florence’s teenage years the family relocated to Long Beach, California to open an A&W Root Beer franchise. Florence graduated from David Starr Jordan high school in Long Beach and enjoyed a lively social life, where she was occasionally mentioned in the local newspaper for the theme parties she hosted. Florence had many fond memories of working at the family restaurant. It was there she met her first husband, Murphy Ragland. They married on March 30, 1950, and had three sons, Patrick, Michael, and Shaun. After her divorce from Murphy in 1979, Florence struck out on her own and moved to Selah, Washington, to be closer to her sons and young grandchildren. She worked first as an insurance secretary and a bank teller before beginning a career with Tree Top, where she met her second husband, Roy McClure. She and Roy married in September of 1980, and had 16 happy years together until Roy’s death in 1996. Florence embraced the town of Selah and was very active in the local community. An artist at heart, Florence was always painting in her spare time. In 1994 she entered and won an art contest to create a poster for the City of Selah’s 75th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee Celebration. She was so proud of her accomplishment that she had Mayor Jim Sweeney sign her winning poster and always displayed it in her home. Florence also became a surrogate grandmother to many of the children in her neighborhood, walking them to and from school, helping them with homework, and hiring them for small jobs around the house so they could have a little pocket money. Florence maintained many close friendships with the ladies she worked with even after her retirement from Tree Top, but her closest and dearest friend always remained her friend Marilyn from childhood, with whom she stayed in close contact, planning vacations together and speaking on the phone every Sunday night up until the time of her death. Florence is preceded in death by her parents, brothers Dick and Ross, husbands Murphy and Roy, and her granddaughter Rachel. She is survived by her sons, Patrick, Michael (Linda), and Shaun, grandchildren Joshua (Jenny), Sarah (Shawn), Shayna (Dave), and Jillian, seven great grandchildren, and her lifelong best friend, Marilyn Tyler. At Florence’s request there will be no formal services. We will all miss her greatly – the world has lost one classy lady! To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Florence Mcclure, please visit our flower store.