MACLEAN, SR.

DAN R.

Born Daniel R. Martorella

He was rough. He was real. He was redeemed. And he was, without question, one of a kind.

Dan R. Maclean was born Daniel R. Martorella on November 9, 1929, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and went home to be with his Lord on April 22, 2026, at the age of 96. He used every one of those years.

He never went further than the eighth grade in formal education. He didn't need to. He had a Ph.D. in life. He was innovative, creative, street smart, and a forward thinker -- ahead of his time. Truly an original.

He built a life from scratch.

He became a publisher. He became a mortgage professional -- not merely a capable one, but one of the finest in the business -- not because someone handed it to him, but because he refused to stop learning. He owned a watch company, dabbled in diamonds, and moved through the marketplace with the ease of a man born to it. He was an entrepreneur long before the word was fashionable, and he wore that, too, with style.

He did everything with style. Impeccably dressed, always. He loved contemporary music -- not the music of a man out of touch, but the music of a man fully alive to his moment. He had taste. He had presence. He walked into a room, and the room knew it.

But what most people never saw -- what flew under the radar and wasn't posted on any wall -- was the man behind the presence.

He once spotted a young man shining shoes whose own shoes were worn clear through and bought him a new pair on the spot, without ceremony, without fanfare. He told a young person who lived nearby, "Get all A's, and I'll buy you an organ" -- she did, and he kept his promise. He regularly paid restaurant tabs anonymously, slipping out before anyone could thank him. He took a young man struggling with addiction into his home and poured into him. He volunteered to teach young people at a local school. He showed up -- not with a program, but with a heart.

This is not to say he was without rough edges. He was raw in his ways and direct in his means. But the difference between a man who performs generosity and a man who simply is generous cannot be faked -- not across 96 years. With Dan, it was never performance. It was simply who he was.

And then, at 89 years of age -- as a trophy of God's grace -- he accepted Christ.

He would often say, "I'm praying for you," and his children knew he meant it. Rough around the edges, yes -- but redeemed. Thoroughly, completely, beautifully redeemed.

Preceded in death by his parents, James P. Martorella (father) and Mae C. Johns Martorella (mother); his beloved wife, Norma Jean Maclean; his sister, Ann Marie Giordano; and his brother, Joseph "Sonny" Martorella.

Survived by: His three children: Robert Martorella (eldest son), Dan Maclean (middle son), and Ami Vogel (daughter).

His grandchildren: Nicole Shaffer and her husband Zachary Shaffer, Jason A. Martorella and his wife Melissa, Ray Martorella, William Martorella, and Alicia Dillon.

His great-grandchildren: Payton Shaffer, Dean Shaffer, Bryanna Dillon, Natalee Dillon, and Brian Dillon.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations to your local SPCA in his memory. He loved his animals -- and that, too, said something about the size of his heart.

A life built from scratch. A faith, though late, that was no less real. A rough man made radiant by grace.