Blair Craig McLean

Oct 27, 1953 — Oct 4, 2026

Magna, Utah

If you knew Blair you knew he loved a good pun. If you knew him better, you knew he loved a bad one even more.

Delivered without a warning, Blair slipped his puns seamlessly into conversation with a straight face, deadpan voice, and just enough volume to be heard by the bystanders nearest him. Eyerolls and groans were his preferred response.

Blair Craig McLean passed away peacefully on October 4, 2026, just weeks after the devastating discovery of a butterfly glioblastoma. He was surrounded in his last days by family, enjoying music he loved, stories from the scriptures, and watching a BYU football game with a blue “Y” cap sat next to him on the bed. While the disease quickly stole his ability to speak, he retained his love of language and sense of humor. Even in his final hours he turned his head toward spoken Spanish, and groan-worthy dad jokes read to him by his family earned a subdued but familiar little shake of his head.

Blair is survived by his beloved wife of 50 years, Cheryl; his children, Richard (Emily) McLean, Nicole (Michael) Miller, Natalie (Justin) Holt, and Ryan McLean; his father, Lanny McLean and stepmother Anne McLean; his siblings, Brad McLean, Rod McLean, Dave McLean (with whom he shared a birthday), and Shari Carling; and grandchildren, Moira, Kella, and Enna McLean, Adam, Zoey and Harrison Miller, and Stanford, Thomas, Joseph, and Scott Holt.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Sharon Stephens McLean, his brother, Val McLean and grandchildren Hyrum Holt and Isla McLean.

Born October 27, 1953, in Salt Lake City to Lanny McLean and Sharon Stephens McLean, Blair was the oldest of six children, five boys and a baby sister. Family stories from those years usually involved someone getting into trouble, someone getting hurt, usually both.

Just prior to graduating from Clearfield High School in 1972, Blair lost his mother to Multiple Sclerosis, a loss that would shape the rest of his life. Around this time, his immediate family moved to California. Blair briefly stayed behind in Utah with his grandfather Clem, before joining the family in Tiburon (CA). Shortly after his arrival, Blair decided California wasn’t where he belonged and ran away. He made it about a mile from the house before his father found him hitchhiking and took him back home.

Blair traveled back to Utah, this time via bus, and lived for a time with his grandparents. From there he then travelled to Argentina to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On his mission, Blair developed a lifelong love of the Spanish language which he later put to use as the branch president for the Magna Hills Spanish Branch, a calling that brought him great joy in serving others and building lasting friendships.

Blair met Cheryl Ashcraft during a dance at the Terrace Ballroom in Salt Lake City. They were married in the Idaho Falls Temple on December 12, 1975, and spent the next 50 years building a life together centered on faith, family, music, and laughter.

Blair traveled a meandering path deciding what he wanted to be when he grew up. He worked as a delivery driver for Sweets Candy, drove a taxi, and managed a Red Wing shoe store before heading to Ricks College, earning an Associate’s Degree in 1983, cracking the code to launch a career in computer programming.

Music was woven throughout Blair’s life. He had a beautiful tenor voice and was a lifelong member of ward choirs, played the upright bass, and was a gifted pianist. Blair had a repertoire of favorite hits that he often played in the home. This included a rotating selection of songs from his well-worn Henry Mancini songbook as well as songs from the Reader’s Digest Treasury of Best Loved Songs (aka the big yellow book) When Blair sat down at the piano there was a good chance you were about to hear Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head, The Girl from Ipanema, Baby Elephant Walk, Moon River, or Love Story.

His love of music inspired those around him in many ways. His sister Shari decided to learn to play piano because she “wanted to play like her big brother.” His kids would pursue musical hobbies as well. Richard and Nicole sang in choirs at Brockbank Junior High and Cyprus High School. Nicole performed in musicals in High School and continued to sing in the institute choir at Utah State University. Natalie played the upright bass in Junior High and High School. Ryan was recruited to choir in Junior High without audition, on family name recognizance, and sings currently with the Seattle Men’s Chorus.

Blair passed his gifts on by teaching two of his grandchildren, Adam and Thomas, to play piano. When Adam later began lessons with a new teacher she remarked on the unusually strong musical foundation Grandpa had given him.

When he wasn’t making music, he was listening to it. Family car rides came with two soundtrack choices: jazz (which he would snap to) or classical (which he would direct while driving). Requests were accepted, carefully considered…and almost always ignored.

In retirement, Blair took up gardening and beekeeping. To help him keep up with the latest buzz, he installed a camera so he could check on the hive from his phone. Cheryl would walk into the room to find him watching his bees, and he’d simply look up and report, “Well…the bees are busy today.”.

Blair’s family invites you to honor his memory by starting the day with his favorite breakfast, a slice of burnt toast and a glass of milk mixed with Nesquik chocolate powder, and ending the day with a scoop of chocolate ice cream. We will miss him deeply. The thought of going on without him is no pun at all.

Visitation will be held Sunday, October 11, 2026, from 6:00–8:00 p.m. at the Lake Ridge 11th Ward, 7825 W. Sharon Drive, Magna, Utah, and Monday, October 12th, from 9:30–10:30 a.m. at the church, followed by Funeral Services at 11:00 a.m. Services will be lived-streamed and may be viewed by scrolling to the bottom of Blair's obituary page.

Graveside services will be held at 2:00 p.m. at the Millville-Nibley Cemetery, 100 N. 300 E., Millville, Utah. Services under the direction of Lindquist’s Bountiful Mortuary.

https://www.lindquistmortuary.com/obituaries/blair-mclean