Marcus Tye McLean

Marcus Tye McLean, 44, of Hereford, passed away on Monday, July 14, 2025, in Hereford.

Marcus was born on Dec. 9, 1980, in Amarillo, to SeLisa (Stroope) McLean and Bobby Kunkel. He graduated from Panhandle High School in 1999.

During high school, Marcus was an all-district lineman for the Panhandle High School football team and a valued, self-taught member of the golf team. Marcus attended West Texas A&M University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and a master’s degree in business. He was a beloved member of the Kappa Alpha Order Fraternity and a faithful member of St. Thomas Catholic Church in Amarillo.

He worked for 16 years at Pantex in Amarillo as a physical scientist and chemistry lab manager. He later transitioned to the Department of Energy, in 2021, where he validated nuclear security. In 2023, Marcus accepted a position with the Hereford Independent School District as a science and chemistry teacher and high school golf coach.

Marcus was enthusiastic about fitness and participated in many triathlons, including the IRONMAN. He enjoyed golfing and swimming and loved his three children, cherishing the time spent with them.

Marcus adored his family, and his abundant love lives on in his son, James Britten McLean; daughters, Mary Anna and Evelyn Faye McLean, all of Gruver; his sister, Jamie Dark, and her husband, John, of Cedar Park, Texas; his nephew, Britten Dark, of Cedar Park; his aunt, Laurie Stroope, of Amarillo; his stepmother Helen Kunkel of Austin; sister, Marie Kunkel of Dalhart; and the mother of his children, Holly McLean, of Gruver.

He is preceded in death by his grandparents, James and Carol Stroope, and his parents, Bobby Kunkel and SeLisa McLean.

A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Mary’s Catholic Cathedral in Amarillo, Texas, at 11 a.m. on Monday, July 21, 2025, with burial to follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Groom. The Rosary will be recited on Sunday, July 20, 2025, at 6 p.m. at St. Mary’s in Amarillo. Arrangements and services have been entrusted to Mendez and Mullins Family Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, consider a gift to a memorial account with Happy State Bank in honor of Marcus for the benefit of his children, James, Annie, and Evie. The memorial account is titled “Jamie Dark for the Benefit of the McLean Family.