Shirley McLean, Longtime Aurora Resident, Travel Agent and Mother of Four, Dies at 84

Shirley Mae McLean, a resident of Aurora for more than 60 years, died peacefully at her home there on October 21, 2024. She was 84. Her family has announced visitation and funeral services for the first week of November.

Born Shirley Mae Barkei on May 16, 1940, in Naperville, she grew up on her family's farm in Batavia. As a child she bore a striking resemblance to Shirley Temple, her namesake. She graduated from Madonna High School in Aurora in 1958, and several classmates stayed close friends throughout her life.

She met her future husband, Michael McLean, while both were in high school. They married on September 3, 1960, at Holy Cross Church in Batavia, and remained together for 62 years until his death in 2022.

By the age of 25, McLean was raising four young children. The youngest two were born with cystic fibrosis. According to her family, she worked tirelessly to manage their health while encouraging each child to pursue individual passions. She stressed the value of education and was an active member of Holy Angels Catholic Church in Aurora for decades.

McLean held a range of jobs in Aurora, including positions at McCoy & Warren and Deuchler and Associates. She later worked at Pilmer Realty after earning her real estate broker license. A lover of travel, she also spent several years as a travel agent at Aurora Travel Agency, then owned the agency with her husband for six years until 2001. The couple explored destinations across the United States and abroad so they could recommend them to clients. After her parents died, she and her two brothers spent many years developing the Batavia property now known as Barkei Farms.

Friends and community were central to the McLeans' lives. They were involved with Holy Angels, Westwind Swim and Tennis, Bristol Tap and their bridge clubs. McLean treasured time on the couple's boat and vacations in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, with family and friends. She enjoyed photography, particularly flowers and coastal landscapes, and took pride in her garden, a pastime she shared with her own parents on the family farm. Her family said she put relationships first and valued making lasting memories, which she and her loved ones enjoyed recalling in her later years.

McLean is survived by her son Tim (Jeanne); her daughter Ann (Kevin) Ingram; and her daughter-in-law, Kristine McLean. Other survivors include grandchildren Joe (Rachel Redler), Jamie and Daniel McLean, Katie (Michael) Denci, and Meghan (Aric) Duemey; great-grandchildren Noah and Emma Denci and August Duemey; her brother Rod (Patricia) Barkei; and her sister-in-law Kathy Barkei.

She was preceded in death by her husband; her parents, George and Margaret Barkei; her daughter Kathy Colombo; her son Tom; and her brother Randy Barkei.

Visitation will take place Wednesday, November 6, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Daleiden Mortuary, 220 N. Lake St., in Aurora. The funeral will follow at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, November 7, at Annunciation Catholic Church in Aurora, with burial immediately afterward at Marywood Cemetery in Aurora. The family asks that memorial contributions go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation or the Alzheimer's Association. Condolences may be left on the mortuary's website.