Barber County Kansas
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Barber County Kansas |
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Max M. McLain, 81, died June 2, 1999, at Medicine Lodge Memorial Hospital, Medicine Lodge.He was born January 1, 1918, at Sun City, the son of Marion F. McLain and L. Ruth (Massey) McLain. A Medicine Lodge resident since 1970, moving from Lake City, he was a farmer and rancher.
He belonged to Sun City Baptist Church, Sun City.
On January 5, 1947, he married Kathryn R. "Brenda" McSpadden at Kansas City, Mo. She survives.
Other survivors include: two sons, Dennis F., Medicine Lodge, and Thomas G., Sublette; and four grandchildren, Tara Lee, Rachel, Olivia, and David McLain, all of Sublette.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Mark M., and a sister, Majorie Sloan.
Funeral services were held Saturday, June 5, 1999, at Larrison-Forsyth Funeral Home, Medicine Lodge, with Pastor Gary Gregory presiding. Burial was in Sunnyside cemetery, Sun City.
Memorials may be sent to the Lincoln Library, Medicine Lodge, in care of the funeral home.
Gravestone for Max & Kathryn McLain
Sunnyside Cemetery,
Sun City, Barber County, Kansas.
Photo courtesy of Kim Fowles.
Bronze military grave marker for Max McLain
Sunnyside
Cemetery, Sun City, Barber County, Kansas.
Photo courtesy of Kim Fowles.
Corporal Max McLain, at right, with a friend.
Photo courtesy of Brenda McLain.
Corporal Max McLain at the scene of a WWII battle.
Photo courtesy of Brenda McLain.
Corporal Max McLain.
Photo courtesy of Brenda McLain.A note from his grandmother Artha Surber to her sister Dora had the following:
"Cpl. Max M. McLain
ASN 37070074
Battery "B" 14th Armored Field Artillery B
Second Armored Division
APO 252
C/o Postmaster New York, NJ
Nearly two years in North Africa.
Now in Sicily with Gen. Patton"-- Kim Fowles.
War scene, photo by Cpl. Max McLain.
Photo courtesy
of Brenda McLain.
Photo of a half-track, Corporal Max McLain either took the
photo or is in it
Photo courtesy of Brenda McLain.
Photo of a half-track, probably the one driven by Cpl. Max
McLain.
Photo courtesy of Brenda McLain.
"Max drove a half-track (which I believe was out-fitted as a maintenance vehicle) in the 2nd Armored Division (Hell on Wheels). Max was in the 2nd Armored from the beginning and was in it when Patton commanded it. (Patton later commanded the 3rd Army.) Max was in the North Africa, Sicily and European campaigns. Saw a lot of war, that boy.Max made it through the war many, many months of combat without a scratch. Then, in the final days of the war, or perhaps after the cessation of fighting, he broke his hand. I believe it was in an accident with the machine gun that was mounted on his vehicle. Must have hurt it pretty good because he spent some time in the hospital."
-- David Massey, 19 Aug 2005.
V-mail letter from Cpl. Max McLain to M.F. McLain. Postmarked:
July 1945.
Letter courtesy of Brenda McLain, transcription by Kim
Fowles.
Dear DadNot much to write, just a few lines to let you know I’m alright, and that I sent two hundred dollars to you a couple of days ago - sold my wrist watch to a Russian for two fifty - that’s two hundred more than I gave for it in Sept of ’41, I kinda hated to sell it but figured I be quite a fool not to - I don’t s’pose I’ll be sending any more -- I haven’t been paid since April and won’t be paid ‘til September so I won’t have any to send, --
I think I’ll be coming home in September, if I don’t make it then I reckon it’ll probably be December before I get there - sure would like to make it in time for feed cutting this fall, but I reckon that’s up to the war department, huh?
Tell Red I got his letter with the newspaper clippings in it and sure do thank him for it - I reckon the boys and you are all pretty busy now days, sure wish I was there to help, I’m not doing a thing around here but just laying around, pulling guard duty once in a while, and charge of quarters today - picking up a little weight I lost in the last year or so - I guess some of the folks back there got the idea from some pictures I sent home from the hospital that I’d been sick or something - Well I wasn’t, other than having malaria a few times I haven’t been sick at all, I only had a busted hand when I went to the hospital, and then got some infection in it while I was down there, in fact, I was picking up weight while I was there - so there was no reason for any one to be feelin’ sorry for me about that, or anything else as far as that goes - as far as losin’ a little fat goes, these Krauts will make any one "gaunt up" a little! Time I get home, I reckon I’ll be just as fat as I ever was --
Did you have any wheat out this year? DeLong, a boy here from Oakley, Kans, got a letter from home saying that wheat was making around forty bushels to the acre up there, Hoffman, from Kingman, says he heard wheat didn’t do so good around there, so I was just wondering how it was at home --
I have to report to the Bn. Adj at two o’clock, along with all the other CQ’s from other batteries, he’s been in the army 27 years and thinks he’s pretty rugged, he’ll probably have something to say about my beard but it’s immaterial to me what he or the Col or anyone else thinks about it - the war’s over now as far as I’m concerned and anything these people get out of me from now ‘til the time I get that discharge they’re sure gonna be entitled to - ‘cause they’re gonna have to work for it - I’m sure tired of all this military stuff - I’ve tried to turn these little old stripes in a couple of times but they don’t seem to want them - I sure ain’t gonna break my neck trying to keep ‘em - let some one run after me now instead of me looking after some one else - all I want is to keep out of trouble, but as far as a rating is concerned all I’m doing is killing time around here and it’s easier to do as a private than a non-com anyway - well it’s about time for me to go so I guess I better close --
Be seein’ you
Max
Postmarked: July 1945
Marion Francis McLain at the McLain Roundup at Sun City,
Kansas, with his sons: Mark,
at left, and Max, at right.
Photo courtesy of Brenda McLain.
Max, Marjorie and Mark
McLain.
Photo courtesy of Brenda McLain.
Left to right: Max and Mark
McLain.
Photo courtesy of Brenda McLain.
Left to right: Max and Mark
McLain.
Photo courtesy of Brenda McLain.
Max McLain.
Photo courtesy of Brenda McLain.
Artha Lee (Van Horn) Massey Surber with her grandsons (and
grandson in law) who were serving in WWII:
Back row: Nathan
Massey, Mark
McLain, Max McLain.
Front row: Richard Moss (Mim
Massey's husband), Grandmother Artha
Lee (Van Horn) Massey Surber, Joe
Massey.
John Massey (also serving in WWII) is missing at time of
picture.
Photo courtesy of Lee Massey Ives.
Back, L-R: Max
McLain, Mark
McLain, Marion
McLain.
Front, L-R: Marjorie McLain, unknown, Artha
(Van Horn) Massey Surber, Ruth
(Massey) McLain.
Photo courtesy of Brenda McLain.
Also see:
Sun City Basketball Teams, courtesy of Brenda McLain.
Hylon Hope (Massey) Howard, first cousin of Max McLain.
Ella Bird (Van Horn) Lott, maternal aunt of Max M. McLain
David Massey, first cousin of Max M. McLain.
Joseph P. Massey, maternal grandfather of Max M. McLain.
John Robert Massey, first cousin of Max M. McLain.
Kent Meadors Massey, first cousin of Max M. McLain.
Nate Massey, first cousin of Max M. McLain.
Ralph Nathan Massey, maternal uncle of Max M. McLain.
Marion Francis McLain, father of Max M. McLain.
Mark McLain, brother of Max M. McLain.
Ruth (Massey) McLain, mother of Max M. McLain.
Artha Lee (Van Horn) Massey Surber, maternal grandmother of Max McLain.
Practical Jokes & Backfired Actions: A few stories from Barber County, Kansas - includes a story by David Massey about how Max McLain attempted to show Joe Massey how his dad peppered a neighbor's fence-busting mule with birdshot to send it home.
Thanks to Shirley Brier for finding, transcribing and contributing the above news article to this web site, to Brenda McLain for the photos and to Kim Fowles for scanning and sending the photos!
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