Edwin John MCCLENAHAN

MCCLENAHAN, GOODLING, MCCANN

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 7/7/2007 at 10:18:02

BELMOND - Edwin John McClenahan, 45, of Freeville, N.Y., formerly of Belmond, died Wednesday (Aug. 22, 2001) at the St. Anthony Central Hospital in Denver, Colo. His funeral will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday at the United Methodist Church in Belmond, with Pastor Mike Druhl officiating. Burial will take place in the Belmond Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on Sunday at the Dugger Ewing Funeral Home in Belmond and one hour before services at the church. Dugger Ewing Funeral Home.

Mason City Globe Gazette
24 August 2001

BELMOND - Edwin J. McClenahan's spirit was released on Wednesday (Aug. 22, 2001) in Denver, Colo., while on a family vacation to the mountains. He was 45 years old and succumbed to his battle with bile duct cancer five months after his diagnosis. He never made it home to Ithaca, N. Y., but was joined by family members from Iowa, Minnesota, New York, New Hampshire, and Missouri before his death. Ed was at peace with himself and his loved ones.

Ed is survived by his wife, Colleen and daughters, Laura Peter, Caitlin, and Rachael, of Ithaca, N.Y.; parents, Guy and Betty McClenahan, of Belmond, Iowa; sister, Candace McClenahan and her daughter Erin, of Bloomington, Minn.; brother, Greg McClenahan, his wife, Dianne, and sons, Matthew, Blake, and Drew of Prior Lake, Minn.; extended family and many friends.

Edwin was born on Dec. 28, 1955, in Belmond, Iowa. He graduated from Belmond High School in 1974, while demonstrating interest in and providing leadership to his 4-H and FFA affiliations. Ed loved his Iowa farm heritage and lifestyle. He attended Iowa State University (ISU) and graduated with a B.S. in Animal Science in 1977. He was married to Susan Goodling from 1977 to 1983, during which time they returned to Belmond where he farmed with his father. He promoted farm innovations, was an early advocate and practitioner of no-till farming, and employed artificial insemination techniques with the family's purebred Angus herd. He returned to ISU in 1986, participated in corn research programs sponsored by the Iowa Corn Board, and received his Master's Degree in Soil Fertility in 1987. He met Colleen McCann while in Ames and they married in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on June 18, 1988. That same year, Ed assumed management of the research farms at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, the position he held until his death. While at Cornell, Ed redefined the farm production element of the research farms and enhanced the field demonstration aspect of Cornell's Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. He completed his coursework to become a Ph.D. candidate in Human Resource Management in Agribusiness in 1997. At his death, Ed was pioneering introduction of Global Positioning Satellite technology into existing farm management practices and fostering its implementation, along with other progressive farm management methods, through farm extension services.

Ed's greatest joy was that of a parent. He gave of himself equally to Laura, Caitlin, and Rachael, as a nurturing caregiver, doting father, softball and soccer coach, role model, cook, and counselor. Colleen provided Ed with happiness and meaning that he cherished dearly. Ed took pride in being a steward of the land and respected the abundance it provided the world. Ed touched many lives throughout Iowa and New York with his good nature and compassionate understanding, his enjoyment of good times with friends, and his willingness to always lend a hand to persons in need. Ed gave generously of himself to family, friends and church. Ed took great satisfaction from his contribution as a charter member of the Christ Presbyterian Church of Cortland, N.Y. He led the organizational and fund-raising effort and with hammer and soul helped construct the church home for the congregation. Ed similarly gave of himself to Habitat for Humanity in the Cortland/Ithaca area. Ed equally loved the vistas from an Iowa cornfield and the Finger Lakes gorges, waterfalls and wineries. Throughout life he developed a spiritual belief that served him well and gave him strength to accept the onset and the inequities of cancer and the struggles and indignities the disease brings to the patient and loved ones. We will miss Ed dearly and hold his memories and preserve his life through our own.

His funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 27, at the United Methodist Church in Belmond, with Pastor Mike Druhl officiating. Burial will take place in the Belmond Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. on Sunday at the Dugger Ewing Funeral Home in Belmond and one hour prior to services on Monday at the church. Memorials may be made to: Believe In a Cure for Cancer, P.O. Box 6600, Penacook, N.H. 03303-6600; Christ Presbyterian Church, 292 Tompkins St., Cortland, N.Y.; or The Yaffe House, 3700 W. 17th Ave., Denver, Colo. 80204-9837. Dugger Ewing Funeral Home.

Mason City Globe Gazette
25 August 2001