Seventy-five year old Elizabeth Ann "Beth" McLean died at the Wakefield Health Care Center on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026.
As per Beth’s wishe,s her body has been donated to Creighton/UNMC Anatomical Board. Her ashes will be buried in the cemetery in Oconto, Nebraska at a later date. Beth spent many summers at the McLean family ranch in Custer County.
A Celebration of Life for family and friends will be held on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2026 from 1 to 4 p.m. at The Coop (121 N Pearl Street) in Wayne.
Born March 1, 1951 to Robert A. and Lelia(Kraus) McLean, Beth attended St. Mary’s Elementary School and graduated from Wayne High School in 1969. She lived most of her life in the Lincoln area, always working in jobs serving others. She was a Home Health Aide, a tech at Lincoln Regional Center, and a Visiting Angel. She spent two years of her life caring for her mom in Wayne, before Lelia’s death. All whom she served were treated with dignity, kindness and respect. Beth returned to the Wayne area in 2017.
She was a lover of animals, especially horses and dogs. She was a gardener and had a jungle of indoor plants in her home. She had a knack for decorating wherever her home was, always making it cozy and warm. She and her family were Parrotheads,(Jimmy Buffett fans) and attended many concerts, in full tropical attire, living the motto "it’s 5 0’clock somewhere”!
Survivors include her sons: BJ Monson of Nebraska City and grandchildren Piper, Xander and Cyrus; Lee Monson of Lincoln; daughter, Maggie Monson of Lincoln; siblings: Nickie Bigley of Omaha, Robert (Rita) McLean, of Wayne, and Valerie (Bill) Dorcey of Laramie, Wyoming; cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. She had a special bond with her “family” of caregivers at the Wakefield Health Care Center and will be greatly missed by them and those of PMC Hospice Care of Wayne.
Beth was preceded in death by her parents.
