Warren, who was born during the throes of the Depression to Floyd B. and Lenore A. McEwen, served his country in the U.S. Air Force for nearly 21 years and then served California’s special needs community for more than two decades as a Central Valley Regional Center executive.
Though Warren was 14 when World War II ended, he exhibited many “Greatest Generation” traits. He believed in hard work, sacrifice, public service, and thriftiness.
Baptized as “John Warren McEwen,” he was a lifelong Catholic and a longtime parishioner at St. Mary Queen of Apostles Church in Fresno. After matriculating from junior high school, he worked odd jobs to pay the tuition to attend Central Catholic High School in Portland, Oregon.
Warren lived in Minot, North Dakota; Medford, Oregon; San Mateo, California; and Seattle, Washington; before planting roots in Portland. It was there, at Mt. Hood’s Mazama Lodge, that he met the love of his life, his future wife, Joyce, and they climbed all the Cascade peaks together.
With the arrival of the Korean War, Warren enlisted in the Air Force and made it his first career, retiring as a Master Sergeant.
Accompanied by his ever-growing family, his assignments included Fairbanks, Alaska; Spokane, Washington; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Portland, Keflavik, Iceland; Wiesbaden, Germany; Riverside, California; and Fresno. He also did special assignments in Turkey, Greece, and Libya.
While with Fresno State’s ROTC unit, he enrolled in accounting and business classes at the university. Then, after leaving the Air Force, he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and joined the Central Valley Regional Center.
With the center, he oversaw the financial accounting and fought for clients to receive the services they were legally entitled to and deserved. He also represented the agency many times during budget discussions in Sacramento. After his retirement, his advocacy for the special needs community was recognized by the California Legislature.
A hunter, fisherman, and avid bowler in his early life, Warren later took up sailing. He served as commodore of the Fresno Yacht Club and chairman of the High Sierra Regatta at Huntington Lake, and was a yacht race referee.
Warren continued to consult on regional center operations throughout the state of California after his retirement — until he again donned his traveling shoes. He and Joyce toured the United States, Canada, and Mexico in their fifth wheel. After Joyce’s death, he took many overseas trips and ended up visiting 57 countries during his life.
He was preceded in death by Joyce, his wife of 55 years, and a son, Warren John.
Warren is survived his son Bill and his wife, Karen; his daughter Susan Smith and her husband, Don; his son David; his daughter Mary Stubblefield and her husband, Steve; his son Robert and his wife, Nancy; his son James and his wife, Carol; his grandson Adam and his wife, Katrina; his grandson Andrew and his wife, Marsela; his granddaughter Christine; his granddaughter Kaila and her wife, Angelica; his grandson Chris and his wife, Subrina; and his grandson, Dario.
Warren was also “GGPA” to six great-grandchildren: Matthew, Harrison, Maximillian, Augusta, Kenneth, and Charles.
A visitation for Warren will be held Sunday, March 15, 2020 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at St Mary's Queen of the Apostles, 4636 W. Dakota Ave, Fresno, CA 93722. A rosary service will occur Sunday, March 15, 2020 from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM at St Marys Queen of Apostles, 4636 W. Dakota Ave, Fresno, CA 93722.
A Mass of Christian burial will occur Monday, March 16, 2020 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at St Marys Queen of the Apostles, 4636 W. Dakota Ave, Fresno, CA 93722. A burial will occur at ST PETER'S CATHOLIC CEMETERY, 264 N Blythe Ave, Fresno, California 93706-1001.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.whitehurstsullivan.com for the McEwen family.
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