John Thomas McEwan, Jr., "Mac" of Warrensburg, MO, died unexpectedly but peacefully in his home on February 21, 2025.

The family will receive friends from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM on Monday, March 3, 2025, at Sweeney-Phillips & Holdren Funeral Home in Warrensburg, MO. A memorial service will follow at 12:30 PM. Burial with military honors will follow at 2:00 PM at the Missouri Veteran Cemetery in Higginsville, MO.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the VFW Post 4195 in Knob Noster, MO, designating Post improvements in memory of John.

Honorary pallbearers will be the young men and ladies who worked for Mac's Firewood over the years. If they were in John's employ, they worked hard, learned much about life and were not only well fed by Jean but valued and respected by both John and Jean.

John was the second of four children born to John Thomas and Margaret (Headman) McEwan on July 5, 1950, in Omaha, NE. Growing up in the '50s in Omaha, John filled much of his free time selling newspapers on street corners, shining shoes, and retrieving the family groceries with his Radio Flyer. And when he wasn't into mostly harmless mischief, he was fishing or hanging out with his brother Curt and friends.

Following his 1968 graduation from Technical High School in Omaha, he eagerly enlisted in the Army and proudly served our country in Germany and Vietnam. He then honorably completed his 23-year military career in the Air Force. His duty stations included Omaha, Okinawa, Oklahoma, Whiteman, North Dakota, and South Dakota before retiring to Warrensburg.

Post military, John went on to enjoy over 30 years of multiple endeavors including rental property, a car wash, teaching at the Missouri State School for the Handicapped, cruise franchise sales and, perhaps the most loved of all, building his farm from the ground up, raising cattle, selling hay, and nourishing his very successful Mac's Firewood business.

He met his wife, Jean, while they were both serving in the Air Force in Okinawa.

John is survived by his devoted wife of 45 years, Jean (Eickhoff) McEwan, his children Anh, Sophia, John Thomas III, Thomas and his wife Abby, sixteen grandchildren and two great grandchildren, sister Tricia (Dean), brother Curt (Celeste), half-brother James and his mother-in-law Betty Eickhoff. He is joined in death by his parents, eldest sister, three half-siblings, father-in-law Harold Eickhoff and his daughter Manuela.

Those of us who loved and already miss John will forever remember his "larger than life" personality and cleverly disguised good-hearted nature. We'll likely recall him in overalls, veteran's ballcap and an ornery expression as he loved stirring up good-natured controversy with everyone he encountered. We will truly miss John "Mac" McEwan.