Jacqueline H. McClain

Jacque McClain (85) of Prosperity, SC, formerly of Aiken SC, died peacefully in her sleep in April, 2015, joining her beloved husband Johnny in the presence of God. Her family asks all who knew her to celebrate her life with us, rather than mourn her loss. She had a wonderful and fulfilling life.

Jacque was born Jacqueline Hester on September 23, 1929. She was a star basketball player at Inman High School and married the love of her life on October 23, 1947, after he returned from service in Germany during World War II. They moved to Clemson where Jacque helped Johnny through college, or, as she always liked to say, she did the work and he made the grades. Following his graduation from Clemson, Johnny and Jacque were blessed with a daughter, Debra. Shortly after, they moved to Aiken as one of the earliest families to move in connection with the construction and opening of the Savannah River Plant. She was blessed with a second daughter, Sandy, a favorite “son,” John Lopez, and another favorite “daughter, “ Debbie Frye. Affectionate names for Jacque abound; she was always “Mama” to Deb, “Chief” to Sandy and Debbie, and “Mamasita” to John. She was always fiercely loving and loyal to her family.

Jacque soon found her passion for retail and went to work for Leonard Browder in Aiken Drug Company, and quickly became an iconic presence in downtown Aiken. She was responsible for the front of Aiken Drug, and knew exactly the kind of cosmetics every girl in Aiken wanted, and gave advice to all the teens in town. She always had a passion for young people, and everyone in Aiken knew that everything was okay when they walked past Aiken Drug, waved at Jacque, and she waved back.

After their retirement, Jacque and Johnny moved from Aiken Estates to their beautiful home on Lake Murray. Johnny went home to God in 2007.

Jacque continued her passion for life in her later years; she went zip lining in Costa Rica when she was 79, parasailing in Ocracoke when she was 80, and wanted to jump out of a plane a few years before she departed. She loved her home, her family, and her circle of friends, and always welcomed guests to her door. Until recently, she could be seen on her riding lawnmower keeping her yard in apple pie order, and was known personally in all of the shops in Prosperity and Chapin, carrying forward the warmth and humor for which she was known in her life in Aiken. Her personality was contagious, her smile was electric, and her laughter lit up many, many gatherings of family and friends.

In her later years, her neighborhood always knew when “Ms. Jacque” was around, and the family is grateful for all of the love and support given by Bill, Vicki, Nick, Carla, Torri, Don, Carol, Ruby, Nancy, Sam, Becky, and John, who have been true and loving friends to all of us in the last years. It has been a long and beautiful journey.

As Jacque’s health began to decline, Deb and Sandy, her daughters, began to alternate periods of time with her on Lake Murray. Jacque, truly the southern matriarch, was not going to leave her home; the home she had lovingly maintained, the home where her dear husband had died, the home full of photographs and priceless memories. Her last months were spent with a loving caregiver, Ronnie. She died in her home, in her sleep, exactly the way she wanted to meet her Savior.

Joining in the celebration of her life are her brothers, Arvil Hester of Inman and Larry Hester (Kathy) of Orlando, Florida, daughters, Deb McClain Durban (Framp) of Mount Pleasant and Sandy Wagoner of Aiken; granddaughters Heather Clements (Chris) of Mount Pleasant and Katie Durban (Jonathan) of Summerville; grandsons David Cavaliere (Rebecca) of Tampa, Florida, Barkley Davis (Trish) of Woodbridge, Virginia and Seth Davis (Jeff) of East Chatham, New York; Jonathan Nation of Manassas, Virginia, and great-grandchildren Brandon and Jacque Clements of Mount Pleasant, Emmalyn Slocum of Summerville, Stella and Julien Cavaliere of Tampa, Florida, and Emelia Davis of Woodbridge, Va., countless loving friends and neighbors. Welcoming her home are her beloved husband, Johnny, her sister, Jean Charping, her dear friend Cathy Rosier, and her parents, Vinnie Viola and John Thomas “Bood” Hester.

Memorial services will be private in keeping with Jacque’s wishes. The family will gratefully accept celebratory messages and other correspondence. In lieu of flowers, the family appreciates memorial gifts in Jacque’s name to the South Carolina Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, on-line at www.alz.org/ sc /.

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