Obituary of Melissa Mae Pena

Melissa Mae McLean Pena (Mae) Mae passed away peacefully at Evelyn's House in Creve Coeur, MO on May 29, 2020 at the age of 92 after an extended illness. She was born in St. Louis, MO and was the last of five children born to Paul T. and Johnnie E. McLean. Mae was united in marriage to Harry Wesley Pena in 1972; he preceded her in death in 2006. She is predeceased by her sisters Anna E. Banister and Leora Beasley; brother James Floyd McLean; nephew Blanchard V. Banister; great nephew Marc E. Brown and great niece Annissa Banister. Mae was a graduate of Sumner High School and Stowe Teachers College. She began her teaching career with the St. Louis Public School System in 1949 and retired in 1990 after decades of dedicated service to her students. Mae will be sadly missed by her beloved sister Frazzie M. Watts; cousin John McLean; nieces LeeAnna M. Jefferson, Mabel B. Brown, Janet Youngblood, Paula Lewis (Lee), Angela Brady (Glenn), Bonita McLean, Barbara McLean, and Lorraine McLean; nephews Jesse Watts II (Stacy), James McLean, and George McLean; great nieces Jeneine B. Welch (Euylan), Tamala J. Shell, Teresa J. White, Alexis Brady, and Amaris B. Willis (David); great nephews Dwight Johnson, Warren Marigny (Allison), Maurice Jefferson Jr., Brandon Banister, Ryan Banister (Kim), and Marc Watts; goddaughter Peggy Henderson; many great great nieces and nephews; special friends Grace Brown and John Owens; numerous other treasured longtime friends and her kind and considerate caretakers at Delmar Gardens Villas North. Mae's friends and relatives are aware of her kind and generous spirit; therefore, the family asks those who wish to honor her memory to make a donation to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) in her name and/or leave a comment on the memory page. There will be no funeral service. Mae was cremated; her remains will be interred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.