The Lee MacLellan Family Story
The Matriarch of the Lee MacLellan Family
Irma Vere Baker was born in the tiny town of Mentone, Indiana; but she ended up as the beloved wife of a Navy Commander, and a leader in the large city she lived in for 40 years, Bethlehem PA.
She was the soft edge to her husband, Lee MacLellan. But just as important was that she would become the loving mother of three daughters, called "The MacLellan Sisters"
Her parents, Francis Marion Baker ("Daddy B") and "Sarah Sensibaugh Baker ("Mom B") were kind, loving people who adored their daughter, who then gave that love and kindness to her whole family. We called her "Mom Mom", which was perfect, as she was double a mother. It sounds sappy, but it was all true.
But while she loved her children, she took her role as wife of a prominent businessman seriously, and threw herself into civic affairs. Her obituary lists 8 associations in which she was involved, such as president of the Bethlehem Woman's club, active in the League of Women Voters, and chairman of the board of the Girl Scout Council of America.
Beth Hollenbeck served as the children's nanny while they lived in Minneapolis. I had always pictured her as a frumpy old lady, but judging from the picture on the left she was anything but. Unfortunately although I know she was unmarried at the time, she is lost in the dust bins of history, as I was not able to locate her in any genealogical site. She did not make the move with the family from Minneapolis to Bethlehem, which made my mother very unhappy.
