Bob and Karen McClennen

Celebrating Bob & Karen McClennen

This site is being created as a place to remember Robert James “Bob” McClennen and Karen McClennen, and to share information about their memorial gathering.

About Bob

Robert James “Bob” McClennen was born on September 19, 1940, in Vineland, New Jersey, where he grew up before attending Drexel University, majoring in Chemistry. He passed away on May 8, 2026, in Cape May, at age 85.

Bob devoted 31 years to teaching science at Springfield High School, where he inspired countless students and was known affectionately as Mr. Bear.

Bob and his late wife, Karen, lived for 30 years in Media, PA, before permanently moving to Cape May in 2013. After retiring, they had begun visiting Cape May and fell in love with the town and the community they found there, eventually deciding to become permanent residents. They were active members of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County, PA, and maintained their lifetime membership while living in Cape May — attending Zoom services on Sundays was a source of comfort for Bob, especially after Karen’s passing.

Bob left behind a legacy of volunteering in both the birding and monarch butterfly communities in Cape May. From April through early July for 11 years, he was the lead coordinator of one of the largest Purple Martin colonies on the East Coast at Cape May Point State Park, participating in counting the eggs and analyzing data to predict hatch dates and banding eligibility. His dedication to the project, and his patience in answering the multitude of questions and educating the interested on Purple Martin behavior, will be sadly missed. He and Karen also banded monarch butterflies each fall as part of the Monarch Monitoring Program through the Cape May Bird Observatory.

When he wasn’t out birding, Bob was a lifelong Phillies fan and an equally devoted opera fan — he never missed a Saturday afternoon opera on the radio, a ritual that remained one of the constants of his life. He was also an avid weather follower, keeping two weather stations and many ledgers full of daily weather data through the years.

Bob is survived by his son, Gordon C. McClennen; his daughter, Shanna J. McClennen; his daughter-in-law, Dori McClennen; his son-in-law, Phil Brandish; and five grandchildren, all of whom have fond memories of visiting Cape May.

About Karen

Karen P. McClennen was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and raised in Grand Forks, North Dakota. She passed away on her 78th birthday, March 14, 2024, a 12-year resident of Cape May.

Karen attended Antioch College, where she developed her passion for helping disadvantaged people. She went on to teach Special Education in the Springfield, PA school district for 27 years, while living in Media, PA. She and Bob were active in the Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County, PA, and maintained their membership while living in Cape May, attending services by Zoom when they became available during the pandemic.

Karen and Bob moved to Cape May in 2013, where they became active in the birding and monarch butterfly communities, catching and tagging thousands of monarch butterflies during the migration season. Karen was also an avid walker who had a friendly smile for everyone she met on her daily walks, and an award-winning quilter who was active in the Cameco Quilt Guild.

Karen passionately supported a number of organizations helping disadvantaged people, including the Southern Poverty Law Center, Red Cloud Indian School, and the Cape May Food Closet.

Karen is survived by her husband of 48 years, Bob; his two children from a former marriage; five grandchildren; her brother, Jim Peterson, of Irving, TX; and a cousin, Nanci Gregg, of Thompsons Station, TN.

Photos

A few pictures of Bob and Karen through the years.

Memorial Donations

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations in Bob and Karen’s memory to any of the causes they cared about most:

• New Jersey Audubon Society
• Cape May Bird Observatory
• Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County, PA
• Southern Poverty Law Center
• Red Cloud Indian School
• Cape May Food Closet

Share a Memory

Former students, friends, neighbors, and family members are invited to share memories of Bob or Karen below, for others to read. We will read these out loud at the memorial.

WARNING: If any of his former students use the word “bear” in their memory, they will get a DE-TENTION!