Jimmy Roy McEwen

Jim McEwen, a lifelong educator and coach, slipped away peacefully at the age of eighty-two (82) on June 11, 2025, after a long and spirited journey with Alzheimer’s disease. His family was grateful to share the final moments of his meaningful life.

A service of gratitude and hope will be held at First Christian Church, 301 4th Street Boonville, Missouri on June 21, 2025, at 1:00 pm. Visiting with family and friends will follow in the Fellowship Hall where all can enjoy some of Jim’s favorite foods. The family suggests memorial contributions to the Alzheimer’s Association or to the City of Fulton with the memo line “McEwen Memorial” for the express purpose of improving and maintaining Carver Park.

Jim was born in his grandparents’ home on September 2, 1942, the second son of Elmore and Anna Marie McEwen. He was proud to have been named after his uncles, James and Roy DeLay, who were serving in World War II at the time of his birth.

He graduated from Odessa High School in 1960 and attended Central Missouri State College where he received his BSE in Physical Education, History, and Speech. He used that certification as an educator in Plattsburg, Odessa, Ferguson-Florissant, Fulton, Mexico, and Moberly public schools. He later received his MA in Educational Administration at the University of Missouri. He touched the lives of students from kindergarten through college, as he was a gifted storyteller and master educator who could reach and motivate the most reluctant pupils.

From 1984 to 1998, Jim was the basketball coach at Westminster College, where he would also be promoted to Athletic Director. During his tenure he broke the school’s records for wins in a season and total wins for a head coach, became the school’s first coach to advance his team to an NCAA national tournament, started multiple women’s sports programs, and revived a football program that had been out of existence for over sixty years. Jim was competitive to the core as a coach but remained modest in victory and gracious in defeat, always quick to acknowledge when “they just played better than we did.”

Jim was an active member of the First Christian Church throughout his life, living his faith through disciplined and exemplary conduct. He shared his time, talent and resources as a tutor at the Missouri State Penitentiary, a volunteer at the Kingdom City Visitors Center, and as an instructor for First Aid and CPR for the Red Cross. He was a frequent guest speaker at service clubs and athletic events, and in his final year of teaching in 2010 he gave the commencement address at Moberly High School, a fitting conclusion to a career that impacted the lives of so many young people.

Nowhere was Jim’s character more evident than in his marriage. He married Carmen Wendleton on August 17th, 1969, in Boonville, Missouri, and in the fifty-five years of marriage they shared he was a devoted, attentive, and loving husband who frequently authored romantic cards and letters expressing his adoration for her. He was proud and grateful to be father to their two sons, Caleb and Joshua, and he nurtured and supported them as they pursued their dreams. And no one was more thrilled to become a grandparent than Jim, as he treasured every moment with Isaac, Simon and Annie.

Jim’s life of service and mentorship means that while the loss of his presence is great, it is eased by the countless men and women who follow in the example he set, leading meaningful and productive lives. We are grateful for the life he shared with us.