Kathryn Shedd McLain

Kathryn McLain passed away peacefully October 16, 2021, at her home at Valle Verde in Santa Barbara. She was 88. She was born at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara on April 22, 1933, to Kathryn and Edward Shedd. She was the youngest of four Shedd children; Edward (Bobby), Margaret (Peggy) and Helen (Honey) Mathers. She was an avid horsewoman in her youth and graduated from Santa Barbara High School in 1951. She attended UC Santa Barbara at both the Riviera campus and the current site of the university. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Sociology from UCSB and married Richard Edward McLain in 1956. They had two children, Leslie, and Laird McLain.

Kathryn served the local community as a 32-year employee of the social services department and was the senior employee of the County of Santa Barbara upon her retirement in 1995. She held many positions within the social services department in her tenure that spanned four decades. She was widely respected for her diligence and devotion to her job and those she served. She was heroic raising two children singlehandedly while running the household and completely giving herself to her job. She enjoyed a well-earned retirement engaging in things she never had time for while a working single Mom. Drawing and painting, travelling to Alaska and Hawaii and enjoying her two grandchildren. She was a cheerful, steady, self-reliant person who weathered and achieved many things in her life and possessed remarkable perspective and wisdom. It was a life well lived and she was loved and revered by her family.

She is survived by sisters Peggy Shedd of Santa Rosa, CA, Helen Mathers of Kingston, Ontario Canada, her daughter Leslie Foster of Shingletown, CA, son Laird McLain, daughter in law Sue McLain, grandson Ian McLain and granddaughter Rory McLain all of Santa Barbara. Her ashes will be interred at the Santa Barbara Cemetery with her parents and brother.