John Wendell MacLean died after rescuing J. Tyler and attempting to rescue A. Stephanie MacLean from burning, Inverness, Nova Scotia, March 14, 1992. Tyler, 3, and his mother, Stephanie, 19, were in bedrooms of a mobile home belonging to Stephanie’s parents when fire broke out in the dining area. Stephanie’s father, MacLean, 55, laborer, and mother fled the mobile home before realizing that Tyler and Stephanie were still inside. With flames spreading rapidly, MacLean re-entered the mobile home and, passing by the center of the fire, went to Tyler’s room, then emerged shortly from the mobile home with him. Although conditions were deteriorating rapidly, MacLean made repeated attempts to gain entry to Stephanie’s room, but he was driven back each time. Stephanie died in the fire. Tyler was hospitalized a month for treatment of second-degree burns. MacLean sustained serious burns to 46 percent of his body and died five days later.
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66699-7703Obituary
John Wendell MacLean, 55, of Inverness, N.S., died March 19, 1992, after rescuing his grandson, J. Tyler MacLean, and attempting to rescue his daughter, A. Stephanie MacLean, from a fire in the family’s home five days earlier.
MacLean was born to Robert and Gladys (Wiswell) MacLean on Sept. 16, 1936, in Inverness. He was a local fisherman and a former volunteer firefighter.
In November 1992, the Canadian government posthumously awarded MacLean the Cross of Valor, the country’s highest civilian award for bravery. The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission in 1993 awarded MacLean the Carnegie Medal for his actions during the fire.
MacLean, a member of Stella Maris Church in Inverness, was buried in the parish cemetery.
(Edited from an obituary provided by the family.)