John Mcmahon

John McMahon, 75, of Grants Pass, died Tuesday, November 27, 2007 at his home.

Visitation will be from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on Saturday, December 8, 2007 at Hull & Hull Funeral Directors.

A funeral service will begin at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, December 8, 2007 at Hull & Hull Chapel with Thomas Purtzer officiating. Interment will follow at Missouri Flat Cemetery. Hull & Hull Funeral Directors are in charge of arrangements.

John was the youngest of five children born to John & Emma McMahon on January 3, 1932 in Montebello, California. He attended high school in Redondo Beach, California followed by two years of college, majoring in business administration. He met his wife Shannon while working at Air Research, a division of Garrette Corporation as a shipping supervisor. They were married in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1954. They resided in Manhattan Beach, California for three years where they had three children. In 1957 he moved his family to Southern Oregon, eventually settling in the Applegate Valley where John and his wife lived for the past 50 years. In Oregon, he was employed in the forest products industry specializing in plywood quality control. After retiring in 1988 he focused his energy on his family and ranch.

He was a member of the Grants Pass Elks Lodge, the Farmers Grange, and the North Applegate Ditch Committee. He also volunteered with Josephine County Search and Rescue and Josephine County Planning Committee.

He loved being active and enjoying the outdoors. He spent many hours teaching his children and grandchildren to ski, whitewater raft, motorcycle riding and body surfing. On the ranch, he loved to build and maintain roads, cut wood, work outdoors improving the place, and having fun with his family.

In addition to his wife Shannon McMahon of Grants Pass; survivors include a son, Bill McMahon of Eugene; two daughters, Regina Purtzer of Central Point; and Sheryl Roeloffs of Crescent City, California; three sisters, Virginia Sherlock of Stratford, Canada; Beth Morgan of Dana Point, California; and Emma Pfeifer of Salem; a brother, Earl McMahon of Woodland Hills, California; 16 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his granddaughter, Sara Smith and his brother, Jack McMahon.

Anyone wishing to contribute food for the family after the graveside service can drop it by the McMahon residence on the Applegate between 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm, Friday, December 7, 2007.