Edith Mary Maclean died at the age of 105 at her home in Mystic, Connecticut on January 29, 2025, with her daughter and grandson by her side. Edith was born in Newton, Kansas on September
2, 1919, to Lyda Spangler Peck and William Elmer Peck. Edith's father was manager of Lehman's Hardware Store, a sort of early Home Depot, which sold a vast array of essential supplies and at Christmas time was a wonderland
of toys. Her mother was a piano teacher and a lifelong musical inspiration to Edith. Edith attended Newton Kansas Public Schools and received her BA from Bethel College in North Newton. She taught for three years in small
Kansas high schools in the towns of Lehigh, Udall, and Hugoton. In 1944, Edith left teaching and went to Chicago, Illinois to pursue her dreams. As her mother had done, she enrolled in The American Conservatory of Music in
Chicago. At the conservatory, she studied with Robert E. Kreutz, Rudolf Reuter, and Leo Sowerby (Pulitzer Prize winner in music). While a student at the conservatory, Edith worked at several jobs, one of which was as a choir
director at Millard Avenue Congregational Church in Chicago. There she met Douglas V. Maclean, the church pastor and a doctoral student at the University of Chicago. On New Year's Eve, December 31, 1945, they were married.
Edith and Douglas moved four times to serve in parishes at Park Street Congregational Church in Bridgeport, CT, First Congregational Church in Kewanee, IL, United Congregational Church of Westerly, Westerly, RI, and United
Congregational Church of Tolland, Tolland, CT. Douglas died in 1985. In 2014, after 40 years in Tolland, CT, Edith moved to StoneRidge Senior Living Community in Mystic, CT. For most of her life, Edith played the piano, sang
in choirs, and until the age of 95 taught piano. In addition, she liked cooking, baking, entertaining, gardening, reading, refinishing furniture, telling jokes, watching UConn basketball, visiting art museums, and most of
all spending time with her family. Edith was preceded in death by her parents, brother Clayton Peck, and husband Douglas. Survivors include Priscilla (Walter) Lane of Benicia, CA, Margery Fox of Monroe, CT, and Jean Schweid
of Mystic, CT, grandchildren Amy Parlett, Gretchen Lane, Tim Fox, Benjamin Schweid, Douglas Schweid, four great-grandchildren, nieces, and a nephew. Edith was lovingly cared for at StoneRidge by Elaine Grant and Sophia Edwards.
A memorial service will be held at Mystic Congregational Church, 43 E. Main St., Mystic, CT on Sunday, March 23 at 4:00 p.m. A reception will follow in the Parish Hall. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be
made to Mystic Congregational Church or United Congregational Church of Tolland, 45 Tolland Green, Tolland, CT 06084.
