Billie McClellan in the Spotlight

Debbie Snapp
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Billie McClellan has been a member of the First United Methodist Church for many years. She moved to Tallahassee from Neenah (Big Water), Wis. a very long time ago, she says, with her children and parents. Her husband had passed away and the move seemed to be the best option. She had been working for a veterinarian at the time, as well as working fulltime at home raising her children.
Billie had planned to go back to college after she relocated to Florida as she had always wanted to be a nurse, but marriage and children came along and she instead settled into being a stay-at-home-mom, a choice she has never-ever regretted.
Well, college and nursing didn't quite go as planned so she decided to apply for a position at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital (TMH) anyway. Maybe, she could get a job as a nurse's aide or caregiver. The only job-opening at that time was in food service, so she took it, and was hired. Billie says that she loved her job at TMH. She had still been able to care for others through this position by creating and preparing special diets for patients who have special dietary needs.
Shortly after moving to Florida, Billie met Paul McClellan when a mutual friend introduced the two. Billie and Paul were eventually married, and Billie moved with her new husband to Monticello. She now has four children from her first marriage, three children from her marriage to Paul and two that the couple adopted. She has also opened her doors to several other children: three foreign exchange students, two from Germany and three foster children, all who continue to stay in contact with her even today.
Billie has a love for children. Over the years, she took on the role of Boy Scout den mother, Girl Scout leader and was even a Kindergarten Sunday school teacher. Despite her busy schedule, Billie found time to take a few college courses on psychology and art.
She is also passionate about animals; she was raised on a farm, so caring for chickens, rabbits, donkeys, sheep, hedgehogs and all kinds of birds were no big deal for her. She had all of this in Monticello too, but she had always dreamed of owning a camel.
With help from her veterinarian, they located a camel in Ohio and in no time at all, the camel was hers. When he arrived by trailer in Monticello, she went right up to him, haltered him and walked him off the trailer. “It was the biggest and best day of my life,” she adds with stars in her eyes.
Shortly after their move to Monticello, Billie and Paul became members of the First United Methodist Church. After attending a live Nativity scene at a church in Tallahassee, Billie thought that she, and her church family, could do something like that in Monticello, but even better. And so began Bethlehem in Monticello, a gift from the church family to the community. Monticello's live nativity scenes included a lot of Billie's animals, including her camel and donkey.
She loves all the animals and extra activities but has had to slow down in her seasoned years, as she is now living in smaller quarters and is not getting around like she once was.
Billie now helps to care for the clients at the Jefferson Senior Citizens Center and makes time to dine with her friends at church.
In whatever spare time she can find, Billie makes prayer quilts with a group at her church and enjoys finding new arts and crafts projects; Billie admits that these hobbies are a lot more fun when done with friends.