Janie Y. McClellan

Janie McClellan was born on December 13, 1940, to the late Ora Lee Jackson-Howard and James Wilson in Litroe, Louisiana. Her stepfather was Norris Howard. Her early childhood development was entrusted to her maternal grandmother, Mrs. Sarah Jane Gordon-Jackson.  At the age of 12, Janie moved with her grandmother to Baltimore to live with her Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Willie Young.  Shortly thereafter, her Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Willie adopted Janie and her last name was legally changed to Young.

Janie was reared in a Christian home, where she learned to honor, love, and put her faith in God. As a teenager, she accepted Christ as her Personal Savior and united with the New Psalmist Baptist Church in Baltimore. There, she attended Sunday School and sang in the Young Adult Choir.

Janie was a product of the Litroe Marion Industrial School, Litroe, Louisiana, and Baltimore City Public School System, where she attended, Dunbar Jr. High School and Eastern High School, from which she graduated in 1958.  She furthered her education by attending Baltimore Jr. College, Boyd Secretarial School, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Graduate School, Montgomery College, and Washington Bible College.

In 1963, Janie met and fell in love with Raymond Earl McClellan, II. They were united in holy matrimony and from their union, two sons were born, Carlton Wayne and Eric Lamont. Their two sons were Janie’s pride and joy.  She truly considered them to be “gifts” from God.  After her grandchildren were born, her pride and joy exponentially increased.

In 1974, Janie and her husband moved from Baltimore to Rockville, MD.  Shortly thereafter, she united with the Mt. Calvary Baptist Church under the Pastorate of Rev. Houston G. Brooks.  She was a strong advocate for the underprivileged and immediately became active with the Missionary Ministry, where she served over 35 years.  As president of the Missionary Ministry for eight years, Janie was instrumental in instituting the “Back-to-School” drive, which not only provided school supplies to underprivileged children, but clothing, as well.  Janie was also actively involved in the Women’s Ministries of Mt. Calvary and the American Baptist Churches of the South. She was a charter member of the Mt. Calvary United Women, which was later renamed the Women's Ministry, where she served as secretary for seven years and coordinated the Women’s Retreat. She was also a member of the Women's Ministry Book Club. She was chairperson of the Benevolence Ministry, representative to the Community Ministries of Rockville, and a member of the committee that launched the Mt. Calvary Helping Hands Shelter.  She helped sponsor summer camp for Washington, DC and Rockville Housing underprivileged children’s attendance at Camp Bennett in Maryland.

Janie was a loving, kind, and understanding servant of God, whose social activism extended to her commitment as a member of Interfaith, Friends-in-Action, the Lorton Prison Ministry, National Council of Negro Women, the Las Amigas Social Club, and a life member of Provident Hospital Auxiliary.

Janie was employed by the U.S. Civil Service Commission, Public Health Service Hospital, Baltimore, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institutes, Bethesda, MD, from which she retired. She received numerous performance awards for her outstanding, dedicated work.

Janie’s hobbies included reading, writing, traveling, collecting postcards and stamps, volunteering to help those in need, and spending time with family and friends.

After an extended illness, our all-knowing, loving, and merciful Father visited Janie at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, early on the morning of October 28, 2018, and beckoned her to eternal rest.  Janie readily responded to His call.  She is now safely resting in the arms of Jesus, where she is free from pain and suffering, and the trials, tribulations, and cares of this world. 

Janie was preceded in death by her biological mother, Ora Lee Howard, her stepfather, Norris Howard, her adopted parents Dorothy and Willie Young, her grandmother, Sarah Jane Jackson, and a brother, Frankie D. Yorbor.

Janie leaves to cherish fond memories: her husband, Raymond McClellan; two sons, Carlton McClellan (Barri) and Eric McClellan (Lisa); three grandchildren: Madison, Jaiden, and Donovan; a sister, Angela Jones; two sisters-in-law, Lela Yorbor and Carolyn McClellan-Rose (James); three brothers-in-law, Gerald McClellan (Ceri), Dr. Hassell McClellan, and Daryl McClellan, two aunts, Laura Young and Evangelist Beulah Wilson; a Godson, Anthony Rodgers; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives, and friends.

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