Being an officer means more than the average person thinks it does. Lance McLean knew what it meant. He knew it meant being fair and knowing everyone makes mistakes. He knew it meant helping the elderly or protecting a child from a predator. He knew it meant being a part of a brotherhood and “blue” family unlike any other. He knew what it meant risking your life for others. Lance knew being an officer was more than a badge and a gun. His wife, Katy now knows all these things too. Being an officer’s wife also means more than the average person thinks it does... Lance McLean was born in Mississippi on April 1, 1975. April Fool’s Day, perfect! It set the tone for the fun loving amazing man Lance McLean grew up to be. His father was in the Air Force and stationed in New Mexico. When Lance turned 13, he and his family made their move to Texas, the place Lance would always call home. They settled in Hico, TX and it wasn’t long until he met Katy Cryer. He was 2 years older than her, but Hico being the small town it is, they knew each other pretty well and fast became good friends. Katy’s parents owned the Dairy Barn and Rusty’s Outback. They spent a lot of time working and hanging out at the Dairy Barn with their friends until Katy went off to college. Katy graduated from Sul Ross State University and then began working as a Special Education teacher in Whitney. Little did she know this would help prepare her for her own life’s twists and turns. She also taught in Bluff Dale and finally ended up teaching in Hico, where they grew up. The first year into her teaching career she began dating Lance. He fell in love with Katy’s quiet, shy ways, and she fell for Lance’s crazy storytelling and the way everyone else loved him too. Lance had never left their home town. He worked at St. Gobain, a sandpaper factory in the next town over, and then laying tile. That tore up his knees and so off he went back to St. Gobain, hating every second of it. They became Mr. and Mrs. McLean on November 30th, 2002. They married in Hico at the Methodist Church and had their reception at the Country Club. Lance only had 2 requests, that he wear a Texas flag vest and tie, and that there was plenty of beer at the reception. Katy was more than happy that was all the requests he had. Lance was always a larger than life kind of guy.
Lance and Katy had their first born, Quinton that following year. When Quinton was born he had hydrocephalus (water on his brain) and they knew something was wrong. Lance jumped in with both feet and immediately went into protective dad mode. He began doing everything he could for his son and went with him to Cook’s Children’s Hospital while Katy was still recovering. There the doctors ended up telling Katy and Lance their son had “HPE” which meant his brain didn’t develop into 2 hemispheres. It had stolen all of his motor skills and more than likely he would not live past his first birthday. Lance was an amazing husband and kept Katy sane those first few weeks. He became the father that Katy always knew he would be.
A couple of years after Quinton was born, Katy and Lance decided their family wasn’t complete and had their baby girl Abigail. Abby, as her family and friends call her, was a daddy’s girl through and through. Abby and her Dad had a special connection, even more so than most fathers and daughters. Abby is autistic and is non-verbal, Lance was the one that could bring out the brightest side of their daughter. Abby was glued to her daddy’s side, she loved to fish and golf with him, but she especially loved when he would take her for long drives on the back roads with the windows down. He sometimes let her drive and her world was never better than when she was in her daddy’s lap driving their truck.
Lance and Katy were always surrounded by their amazing support system of family and friends. Both their families still live in Hico as well. They were incredibly blessed to have so many people surrounding them that love and know their kids. They took full advantage of that blessing and often snuck off like teenagers to Ranger’s games or just to hang out with friends. Lance never met a stranger and was a very enthusiastic person. He loved being around others, and others loved being around him. They gravitated toward his 6’4 frame just to hear his infectious laugh.
While Lance was growing his family and becoming an incredible father and husband, he was still miserable at his job. So an old friend, Cody Keith, told Lance about a position as a jailer/dispatcher at Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office. Lance got hired on there in 2004 and loved it. He finally found something that interested him, helping people. He always had that quality about him. If he was mowing his own yard, he would mow the little neighbor lady’s yard too. If a friend called in the middle of the night and needed help, he was there. Lance had found his calling. Lance began the police academy program at Weatherford College in 2005. He worked very hard for that accomplishment. He worked the night shift in Hamilton County, 11 PM to 7 AM. Then came home and slept for a while before he would get up and help Katy with their kids. He would then gather his things and head for his class in Weatherford from 6 PM to 9 PM, then back to Hamilton by 11 PM, and then do it all over again the next day.
Lance’s first patrol job landed him in familiar territory, Hamilton County, this time as a sheriff’s deputy. As most good law enforcement officers do, he began to move up and took a job in Hood County as a Sergeant. There, he found the place he belonged. He joined the SWAT team and loved all the guys with him. Lance even came back to his team after he spent a brief time as an investigator back in Hamilton. He hated being behind a desk and desperately missed his work family. Katy supported him every step of his career, even when she would have to make a mad dash from Hico to Granbury because he forgot his SWAT gear.
Katy was okay with all the time it took him away from her and their kids. Lance’s happiness was the most important thing to her and she could see this was his calling. Lance was born to be a police officer. All the worry and prayer was worth it to see the happiness within her husband, and how much he loved his job. Katy was happy too, the kids were doing great and enjoying going to school. She was able to stay home with them and be there to watch Abby wait by the door for her Daddy to come home from work every day. Lance would come in the house and yell “BABY GIRL!” and she would light up. He would go see Quinton, love and fuss over him and then kiss Katy hello. Life was going pretty good in Hico, TX, then one day in June of 2013 everything changed for Katy. Katy woke up that morning excited but also full of dread. She was excited because they were going to stay at Rough Creek Lodge with their entire family. Lance was going to leave work early and meet them there. She couldn’t wait to watch him swim with the kids. But she dreaded packing all four of them up to go someplace overnight. She was making her mental check list of the million things she had to remember to pack when the phone rang. It was Katy’s mom telling her to look on Facebook, someone from Hood County had been injured. She thought to herself “I hate when they post things like that on Facebook.” But it gave her the feeling she better try to call Lance. Katy tried his cell phone several times with no luck. She began calling friends of theirs that are officers and each one went to voicemail. Katy’s stomach began to sink. She told herself someone was really hurt and Lance and the guys were just dealing with that, that’s why no one was answering their phones. But then she remembered something Lance had once told her. He said that if it wasn’t serious they would call you, if it was bad they would come get you. Katy couldn’t wait to for someone to come find her, she had to go find Lance. Lance’s brother came and picked Katy up and they headed to Hood County. The entire drive all Katy could do was pray it wasn’t Lance. She kept calling anyone she could think of until finally she decided to try the Sheriff’s office, someone answered. She griped her phone tightly and heard the one thing all police officers wives never want to hear. Yes, Lance was shot but they didn’t know how bad it was. Katy and her brother in-law changed course immediately and headed to Ft. Worth, to Lance. Halfway there Katy got a call from the Sheriff himself. He explained a little of what happened and that Lance had been injured in the worst way. He had been shot in the head. Katy hung up the phone and because she couldn’t drop to her knees, she closed her eyes tightly and prayed harder than she ever had in her life. Katy walked in to the Ft. Worth hospital and it was all a blur. She remembers her sweet husbands face didn’t look like him and that there were a lot of officer’s from Hood County there with her. She later found out deputies from other counties took over the Hood County patrol so they could all be there with them. It was so surreal that she couldn’t take it all in. How do you comprehend that your strong, smart, and capable husband wouldn’t be coming home? You don’t. Lance passed away the next day on June 29, 2013. Katy, Quinton and Abby’s world was shattered. Katy spent the first few weeks of mourning her husband like any good mother would, praying for her children. Abby still sat and waited by the front door, Quinton couldn’t express it but the bright light in his eyes had become dull. No matter how unable a child is to communicate, a mother knows when their baby is hurting. So, instead of trying to make impossible deals with God to bring her husband back, she prayed that He would ease their children’s hurt and confusion. Katy cried and ached for her daughter. Abby’s hero, protector, and most favorite friend was gone, but did she know that? Would Abby ever understand why? Would she ever understand that her Daddy died a hero? Katy couldn’t know. Slowly, Abby stopped waiting for her Daddy by the door. Katy was thankful and has faith that Lance had a hand in easing some of his baby girl’s pain.
It has been 3 years since Lance was taken from his family. Katy and the kids are still learning to deal with the hole that losing Lance left behind. Katy misses the random texts and the inside jokes. She even misses his spit cups all over the house and him fussing at her for her messy car. Unfortunately, like so many “blue” wives, Katy misses her husband. Being his father’s son, Quinton proved all the doctors wrong and is now a happy 13 year old Lance look-a-like. Abby is 10 now and in the words of her mother, is wild, independent, and stubborn. Just like her Daddy. Hanging in their living room are as many photos of Lance and their family as the walls can hold, so Quinton can be surrounded by him and Abby can wave at their Daddy every morning. Some days are getting easier, some days Abby covers all the faces in the photos on the refrigerator with magnets, all of those except Lance’s and Katy knows she misses him as fiercely as she does.
Lance loved people. He risked his life every single day for them. He loved being an officer and being a part of his work family. Katy never thought something like this would happen because of it. She comforts herself knowing Lance would have wanted it this way. He would have wanted it to be him instead of one of his guys that stepped out of the car to protect a child and family from harm that day. He couldn’t have lived with it if it had been one of his brothers. Katy says she’s going to yell at Lance when she sees him again in heaven for thrusting her into the spotlight she hates so much. She has met people from all walks of life, countless police officers and civilians, Senators, and even the Governor of Texas. People she feels she has no business meeting. In spite of her red face, Katy feels humbled and incredibly proud to have had these opportunities because of Lance’s need to help people and doing his thankless job. She comforts herself knowing he died doing what he loved and that he truly died a hero. Her husband was an amazing man. Katy gets through her days with support from their family and their extended family at Hood County Sheriff’s office. The officers and their wives that loved Lance still check on her and help in any way they can. They built Quinton a wheelchair ramp at their house. They still invite her to cookouts and let her know when Lance’s SWAT team is going out, and that they made it back safely. Its things like that that make Katy feel so blessed to be an officer’s wife. She knows what Lance knew, she knows it means being a part of the “blue” family forever. Sergeant Lance Mclean, thank you for your service. Thank you for your sacrifice while protecting the innocent. Rest peacefully knowing that your family is surrounded and forever supported by all of those you knew and loved so well. The world is a better place because of the husband, father, friend and officer that existed in you.
