‘He was Just Dad’

April 20, 2021 by Ann Wishart

Dan McClelland was fun.

That was one of the fondest memories his son, Andy McClelland, recalled just hours before his father’s funeral service April 20.

“He always had an incredible sense of humor,” Andy, 38, said, recalling how Dan and the rest of the family were always playing pranks on each other. “He could talk for hours, telling funny stories.”

When he would come home after a long shift, his father would take off his “monkey suit” and, with it, shed all the trials and tribulations of his job, Andy said.

“How Dad was able to separate work and home was truly amazing,” he said.

Family was a vital part of his life and he never missed his kids’ sporting events, Andy said.

“He was a phenomenal grandfather to his nine grandchildren. He’d come over and read bedtime stories to the kids,” he said, adding his father loved ice cream and would sometimes take his grandkids out for the sweet treat twice in one day.

Andy recalled last summer he and Dan drove their Jeeps up to Fairport Harbor and had ice cream there.

“He said, ‘This is good, but I’m going to stop at King Kone on the way home,’” Andy chuckled.

Visiting hours April 19 were a revelation to Andy and his siblings, Kelly Slattery and Daniel McClelland, as a nonstop stream of friends and coworkers stopped by to pay their respects.

“One thing became apparent at calling hours, how many organizations and aspects of the community Dad truly had an impact on at a personal level,” he said. “We never knew he was doing so much. He was just Dad.”

He inspired his coworkers, as well, insisting deputies call him Dan instead of sheriff, and he was never above any task, staying humble and assigning credit to his team for the department’s successes, Andy said.

“He was such an inspiration to us,” he said.

Before he retired, a friend saw Dan directing traffic at a scene and asked, “Why is the sheriff out directing traffic?” Andy recalled.

His father answered, “I’ve done it for decades. Why would I stop now?”