Ronald Wayne McClees

Just as Dad lived life on his terms, he passed away on his terms, at home peacefully on March 24, 2025, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Born on June 19, 1951, in Salt Lake City, to Jasper Wayne (J.W.) and Mary Ellen (Whetsel) McClees. Dad's father was in the Marine Corps, which brought a lot of moves to places like Hawaii and Camp Lejeune. At the age of 17, he joined the ARMY and served in Vietnam.

Dad married Mom Ruth on December 17, 1977, at Circus Circus in Las Vegas, NV (later divorced). Together, they created their circus (some people call it a family) with two girls in West Valley City, Utah.

While Utah was home, Dad loved driving on the open road and made a living as a long-haul truck driver, often taking his family with him. He thoroughly enjoyed being on the open road with his family and creating memories, even taking the oldest grandson, Dylan, on the semi with him when he could. Some of his hobbies include camping, fishing, four-wheeling, being in nature, talking about history, teaching his grandkids how to bake or how to count by playing Yahtzee, making green eggs and ham and Popeye eggs, and genuinely being the life of the party with his infectious smile.

Dad loved music, and everyone, including the neighbors, got to hear either Lynard Skynyrd, Dire Straits, Metallica, or Ozzy with us at 8 a.m. Saturday morning. As a teen, there was no sleeping in between the music and lawn mower.

Dad was proud to be a Vietnam Veteran, but more specifically, he was proud to be an American. He wore a Vietnam Veteran or POW/MIA hat everywhere and always flew two flags, an American flag and a POW/MIA flag. He was never seen without a Diet Coke or a cup of coffee and a huge smile.

Dad is survived by Ruth; two daughters, Randa (Scott) of Roseburg, OR, and Ronnal (Patrick) of Lake Los Angeles, CA; his sister, Ellen of West Valley City, UT; and his brother by choice, Tom Speetzen Kearns, UT. He also leaves behind four grandsons—Dylan (Cassie) of Bluffdale, UT; Devin of Soap Lake, WA; Nash and Joseph of Lake Los Angeles, CA—as well as two granddaughters, Rori of Lake Los Angeles and Rachel of Roseburg, OR. 3 great granddaughters (Allison, Paityn, and Laynie) and one great grandson (Lennix). Dad is preceded in death by both his parents and his two brothers, Terry and Glenn, as well as his favorite child (dog) Gucci.

A celebration of life will be on April 1, 2025, from 3 P.M.-7 P.M at the LDS Church located at 700 W. 6300 S. Murray, Utah. We request you to join us in sharing your stories, laughing, and remembering Dad.

Instead of flowers, the family requests donations for travel expenses.