* Jean G. McLachlin; Retired School Nurse

Jean Gillies McLachlin of Camarillo, a retired nurse, died Nov. 23 at home after a long illness. She was 89.

Born in Canada in 1905, McLachlin’s family moved to California’s warmer climes when she was 6 months old.

When she was 4, her father purchased a general store in Somis and moved to Ventura County, where the family eventually built their home on Peach Hill.

She graduated from Moorpark High School in 1924 and went on to Occidental College in Los Angeles, where she earned a nursing degree in 1929. Until 1932, she trained at Pasadena Hospital.

Because of her love for children, McLachlin spent 10 years as a private nurse for families.

She joined Ventura County’s Public Health Department in 1942 to help administer polio vaccinations and later became the first nurse for Moorpark and Simi Valley’s elementary and high schools. She retired in 1972.

Family and friends describe McLachlin as a warm woman who never lost her love for children. She continued to baby-sit infants and toddlers well into her 80s and worked at the nursery at Moorpark Presbyterian Church, her place of worship.

In addition to her avid knitting and penchant for bridge, McLachlin remained active in the community and was a long-standing member of the Fortnightly Woman’s Club, the Ventura Retired Teacher’s Assn., and the Simi Valley and Moorpark historical societies.

She is survived by her husband, Michael Sullivan of El Centro; niece Jessica Sullivan of El Centro; great-niece Kelli Sullivan of El Centro, and great-nephews Christopher Sullivan of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Andrew Sullivan of El Centro.

Services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at Ted Mayr Funeral Home, Ventura. Burial will follow at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park.

Contributions in her memory may be made to Moorpark Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 1007, Moorpark 93021; the Moorpark Woman’s Fortnightly Club, c/o Ruth Hauenstein, 11661 Chestnut Ridge St., Moorpark 93021, or the Moorpark Historical Society, P.O. Box 662, Moorpark 93021.