Monday, November 10, 2025 | St. Lawrence County, NY
FORMERLY OF MADRID - Mayfred Grace McClelland (née Sherman) of Yorktown, NY and formerly of Madrid, NY, passed away peacefully on September 21, 2025, surrounded by her family, at the age of 96.
Born on February 23, 1929, in Waddington, NY, she was the daughter of William and Eva Sherman (née Boileau ). Her early years were spent on the family's dairy farm in Madrid, NY, where she learned the values of hard work, community, and family principles she carried throughout her life. For everyone she touched, stories of those farmhouse days will remain through the years.
Mayfred graduated from Madrid Central High School and went on to study Food at Canton ATI. She was an active student, participating in numerous school activities and proudly joining the Alpha Chi Omicron Sorority. Her interest in nutrition led her to train as a dietitian at New Rochelle Hospital, later transferring to St. John's Hospital in Yonkers, NY.
On April 11, 1953, Mayfred married Harry Carl McClelland at the United Methodist Church of Yonkers. In 1956, they moved to Cortlandt Manor, NY, where they raised their children and became entrenched in their community. Mayfred worked as a teacher's aide at Blue Mountain Middle School before returning to her calling as a dietitian at Hudson Valley Hospital Center, where she served with compassion until her retirement in 1988.
A woman of deep faith and civic spirit, Mayfred was actively involved in the Peekskill United Methodist Church, the Garden Club, PTA, Grange, and Girl Scouts. In retirement, she and Harry moved to Hammondsport, NY, where she continued her service through the firehouse auxiliary, the Order of the Eastern Star, and as President of a local ladies' group. After Harry's passing in 2000, she returned to the Cortlandt Manor area and remained engaged in her community as Vice President of the Verplanck Senior Citizens and active parishioner of the Shrub Oak United Methodist Church.
Mayfred was a devoted sister, a nurturing mother, a joyful grandmother, and a proud great-grandmother. Her love for her family was unwavering.
She is survived by her loving siblings Mildred McDowell of Madrid, NY, Ruth Koch of Manassas, VA, and Floyd Sherman of Potsdam, NY; her children Gretchen McClelland Gale (née McClelland) and her fiancée Alphonse Prisco III of Carmel, NY, Harry Carl McClelland, Jr. and wife Myriam McClelland (née Honig) of Ft. Meyers, FL; her grandson James McClelland Gale and wife Megan Gale (née Fausner) of Cortlandt Manor, NY, and her great-grandchildren Henry William Gale and Grant Charles Gale, also of Cortlandt Manor, and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.
She was predeceased by her parents, her husband Harry, her sisters Margaret Moulton and Lodine Stiles, and her brothers Marvin, Morton, and Morris Sherman.
Mayfred's legacy is one of kindness and resilience. Her lively spirit meant there was never a dull moment when she was around, and though she has passed on, the echoes of her laughter and the joy she gave so freely will continue to brighten our lives.
