Born March 31,1929 in Paulding, Ohio, Sarah Mae McClain, at age 90, was called home to Jesus Wednesday, May 15, 2019. Sarah was the second daughter of Claude and Adda Babcock-Deatrick and one of three children, including her sister Doris and brother Claude (her only surviving sibling). On January 2, 1947, Sarah married her husband Wesley McClain (and they remained married and in love for over 71 years, until his death last year).
Wesley was a decorated WWII veteran from the European campaign. Soon after their marriage, the young couple moved to Chelsea, Michigan where they soon had three children, John, Cliff, and Sue (deceased). In 1961, they purchased and moved their family to the Golden Valley Ranch near Empire, Michigan where the family raised and trained horses, gave trail rides, boarded horses for local and summer clients, and hosted the annual Empire Rodeo.
Sarah would recall years later, that though she did most of the domestic house work and loved to cook, she also loved to work in the barns and with the horses, and especially enjoyed meeting and visiting with all the tourists, summer folks and locals that visited the ranch. After selling the Ranch in 1972, Sarah and Wesley moved to Traverse City where she first worked as a veterinarian assistant, and later became a homeopathic health consultant and distributor for Shackley and Nature’s Sunshine health products. An ardent reader and student of natural health processes, Sarah was widely acclaimed for her knowledge on natural health care for the body, including essential oils, vitamins and herbs, and certifications in Reflexology, Iridology, Herbology and several other homeopathic methods.
Sarah, annually, was recognized as one of the top distributers for Nature’s Sunshine products, receiving annual trips to many places around the world, including China, Israel, Russia, England, France, the Bahamas, Brazil, Australia and Italy. Throughout her career and semi-retirement, Sarah remained a dedicated and loving wife to Wesley, as well as a devoted mother/grandmother to her children and grandchildren. Preceded in death by her daughter, her sister, and her parents, Sarah is survived by her brother Claude R. Detrick (Priscilla), her two sons, John (Julie) McClain (Tucson, AZ) and Cliff (Millie) McClain (Maple City, MI), her grandchildren Bridy (Chuck) Godwin (Sierra Vista, AZ), Jonathan (Trisha) McClain (Albuquerque, NM), Jeremiah (Vicky) McClain (Las Vegas, NV), Sarah (Brett) Hayes (Traverse City, MI), Katelyn McClain (Las Vegas, NV), Kelli Rose McClain (Denver, CO) and great grandchildren Delany Godwin, Kaley McClain, Ethan McClain, Aiden Hayes, Isabella McClain and Jack McClain.
To The Children We miss thee from our home dear Mother, We miss thee from thy place. A shadow o’er our life is cast, We miss the sunshine of thy face. We miss thy kind and willing hands, Thy fond and earnest care.
Our home is dark without thee, We miss thee everywhere. Family and friends are invited to attend a graveside ceremony for Sarah on Monday, May 20th at 3:00 PM at the Grand Traverse Memorial Gardens (3575 Veterans Drive). This will be followed by a memorial celebrating Sarah’s long and wonderful life on June 14, 2019 at the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home in Traverse City, MI at 3:00pm with visitation one hour prior.
Please contact the Funeral Home for further information regarding the memorial or to provide a further expression of sympathy. For those unable to attend, the memorial service will be live-streamed at www. rjfh.
tv. Please share your thoughts and memories of Sarah with her family by way of her online guestbook at www. reynolds-jonkhoff.com.
The family is being cared for by the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home.
If you found any mistakes, or you would like to add/remove to this obituary, please contact us by email: info@obituary.memorial. We never ask money for this.
