GREAT FALLS — Former students are fundraising to honor longtime Montana educator Josy McLean with a swing in her honor planned along the River’s Edge Trail. McLean, a biology teacher who spent decades shaping young lives across northcentral Montana, was killed in a crash near Lincoln on January 4, 2026.
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She taught for 28 years at C.M. Russell High School, earning numerous Teacher of the Year awards and nearly every teaching honor the school offers.
In a statement, the school described McLean as “a lovely, kind, and vibrant human being,” adding that she “quite simply was one of the best.”
“She was just this big, strong, wonderful human being,” said former student Sarah Murphy. “She just impacted a lot of us.”
Murphy first met McLean when she was a sophomore at Blue Sky School, where McLean was a first-year teacher. Years later, Murphy says their lives came full circle when McLean taught her own children at CMR.
After learning of McLean’s death, Murphy and other former students began talking about how to honor her life.
“Someone suggested flowers, and we all said, ‘That’s not big enough,’” Murphy said.
Instead, the group chose something that reflected who McLean was outside the classroom: an avid hiker, dog lover, and someone deeply connected to nature.
“These trails were really big for her,” Murphy said. “She walked every day. We wanted something that honors her in a very natural way.”
The group is working with the Great Falls Parks and Recreation Department to commission a swing along the River’s Edge Trail and is fundraising $4,000 for the project. Any additional donations will go toward trail maintenance.
Those behind the effort hope the swing will serve as a lasting place of reflection.
“We just want her to be remembered,” Murphy said.
To donate, checks can be mailed to 1700 River Drive North, Great Falls, MT 59403, made out to the Great Falls Park & Recreation Department in honor of Josy McLean.
