Obituary

Molly Ann Birt McClennen
(September 6, 1971 - December 13, 2022)

MOLLY ANN BIRT McCLENNEN, Ph.D., went to her Lord and Savior on November 13, 2022. She died in St. Mary's Medical Center of complications from adrenal gland cancer. She was 51.

Molly was born in Bellevue, Washington, on September 6, 1971. Her family moved to WV in the late 70's and she grew up in Milton. She graduated from Milton High School in 1989. She is a proud graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon in 1993, where she earned a BA Degree in History and a BA in Secondary Education, Summa Cum Laude. She obtained a master's degree from Marshall University in 1997 in Special Education. In 2016, she earned a Ph.D. in Literacy, Language and Culture at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

Molly was employed at Marshall after graduating from Wesleyan. She was Assistant Director of Resident Services and then later taught English. Most of her career has been in the field of education. The last two years brought her joy working with the staff and young children at Explorer Academy and the Cabell County Virtual Academy. Thank you staff and children for the appreciation and love you gave her.

Molly had many interests. She loved working with students and teaching. She enjoyed nature and being outdoors. She cared about stray dogs and cats and loved her cat, Cutie. She had a love of reading and was interested in learning new things. Her Bible, her Book of Common Prayer were favorites.

She was interested in all types of music and loved Bruce Springsteen and old time Bluegrass. She relaxed growing plants and took classes to become a Master Gardener.

Molly cared deeply about her church and had a strong faith that helped her handle illness with grace and courage.

She enjoyed writing and did freelance writing locally. Her short story "Landscapes" was a Creative Nonfiction selection for publication in the Summer Edition 2019 magazine, Appalachian Heritage.

Molly was artistic, loved to cook and eat the results, loved baseball and the Cubs, was fun to be with and had a great sense of humor that made one belly laugh.

She was preceded in death by her maternal grandparents, Dr. William and Marian Birt of Milton, W.Va., and her paternal grandparents, Robert and Pauline McClennen of Vineland, N.J. She is survived by her mother Judith Birt of Milton and her father George McClennen of Enon, Ohio.

She was a faithful friend to many, and her friends gave her love, support, and prayers during her illness. Thank you all for the cards, gifts, and especially for praying. It was a blessing and meant so much.

Thank you, Molly, for being a wonderful daughter. You blessed all that knew you and you will be missed by many. You led a good life and finished well.

A memorial service will be held December 17, 2022, at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Huntington. Visitation from 1 to 2 p.m. and the service at 2 p.m. It will be officiated by Father Jim Morgan and Brent Williams. The distribution of ashes will be private. Wallace Funeral Home, Milton, is assisting the family.