Cover photo for John Raymond Mcclenon's Obituary
John Raymond Mcclenon Profile Photo
1937 John 2015

John Raymond Mcclenon

May 1, 1937 — December 24, 2015

John Raymond McClenon, 78, of Lynchburg, died Thursday, December 24, 2015 after a hard struggle with cancer. He was the husband of Mary Alice “Molly” Thornton McClenon for 56 years.

Born Saturday, May 1, 1937, John was the son of the late Raymond Benedict McClenon and the late Erica Weber McClenon.

In addition to his wife, John is survived by three daughters; Anne McClenon and partner Martin Rader, Marca McClenon, Maureen Sacon and husband Neal, and five grandchildren; Ryan, Myles, and Molly Anne McClenon-Grant, and Walker and Lilly Etta Sacon.

Born and raised in Grinnell, Iowa, John taught for 38 years at Sweet Briar College after graduating from Grinnell College and earning his Ph.D. in Chemistry at UCLA. He was awarded the Dana A. Professor of Chemistry in 1982. John loved teaching, the students, and Sweet Briar College.

Music was a large and beautiful part of his life, especially jazz and classical. John played clarinet and lead saxophone in many bands including his own 15 piece Johnny McClenon Big Band. John was a charter member of, and clarinetist in, the Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra, and also played in the Fine Arts Center Orchestra, Rockbridge Symphony, Lynchburg College Wind Symphony, and River Winds, a quintet. Many summers found him playing chamber music at the Composer’s Conference at Wellesley College.

After retiring in 2002, John quickly found another way to contribute to a better world by volunteering in the pharmacies of Lynchburg General Hospital and the Johnson Health Center for over 4,000 hours and serving as an AARP Tax Aide volunteer.

John loved to experiment and try new things. During high school in the 1950’s John and his friends built a large complex model railroad. John especially enjoyed repairing the engines after they flew off the tracks and down the attic stairs. They also designed, built, and fired off two stage rockets with parachutes – early recyclers.

A strong defender of First Amendment Rights, he was a member of the American Civil Liberties Union, People for the American Way and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, and wrote many letters to the editor. John loved a good debate, which made him a valuable member of the American Association of University Professors and the 13 Club. He had an extensive world-wide stamp collection, and was a ham radio operator (WB4WDL). John was a long-time active member of the First Unitarian Church of Lynchburg.

John and his family enjoyed great adventures, spending summers traveling all over America and abroad, including one year living in the Netherlands. Once the Berlin Wall came down, John got to visit with even more members of his family that had been unable to meet with each other. Four memorable trips to Transylvania with their partner church provided first-hand experiences into different cultures and lifelong friends.

John will also be sorely missed those who loved him including the two young men living with them now, Christopher Barbour and Matthew Rost.

On Sunday, January 17, 2016, the family will receive friends from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM at the First Unitarian Church of Lynchburg. A Celebration of John’s Life will follow at 3:00 PM with Rev. Paul Boothby officiating with a reception to follow.

An additional Celebration of John’s Life will be held on Saturday, June 4, 2016, at 3:30 p.m. in the Memorial Chapel at Sweet Briar College with Rev. Katharine B. Chase and Rev. Paul Boothby officiating. A reception will follow.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to the First Unitarian Church of Lynchburg, Sweet Briar College, the Lynchburg Symphony, or a charity of your choice.



Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory, Lynchburg, is assisting the family.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of John Raymond Mcclenon, please visit our flower store.

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