John Thomas McMahon

The fifth child of Henry George McMahon and Neenah Webster McMahon, John grew up in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. He graduated from University High School in Baton Rouge, where he was President of the Student Body. John graduated from LSU and LSU Law School, where he served on Law Review and was President of the Student Bar Association. As an undergraduate at LSU, he met Barbara Allen. They married in 1964 and enjoyed 57 years of marriage.

John began his legal career as an attorney for Shell Oil Company in New Orleans, where he and Barbara lived with their family for 27 years. While at Shell, he served as Chairman of the Legal Subcommittee of Offshore Operators and Chairman of the American Petroleum Institute’s Subcommittee on Exploration and Production Law. He became Senior Counsel and briefly moved to Bakersfield, California to establish a legal department for Shell. John returned to New Orleans as General Attorney, and later moved to Houston where he served as Corporate Environmental Counsel until his retirement. After retiring from Shell, John collaborated with the University of Houston Law Center on their Russian Petroleum Legislation Project. He was the primary author of the Environmental Protection Act for the Russian Federation in 1993.

Although he had many wonderful years in the oil and gas business, John’s fondest career memories were his years teaching at St. Pius X High School in Houston, from 1994-2005. At St. Pius X, John taught a variety of courses, including World History, Government, and Psychology, and he worked as an offensive line and special teams coach for the St. Pius X football team. He was an innovative and dedicated teacher whose sense of humor and engaging personality enabled him to build meaningful relationships with his students. Shortly after his retirement, St. Pius X created the John T. McMahon Teaching Chair, awarded annually to the educator who “teaches beyond the curriculum” and prepares students for life after high school.

Throughout his life, John was incredibly devoted to his family. He was a loving husband to Barbara and an amazing father to his daughter, Laura, and son, George. He brought great joy and laughter to his six grandchildren, to whom he was affectionately known as “Wawa.” John was a superb storyteller, and his wonderful imagination enabled him to continually create games that kept them entertained. Although his family lived in different states, John and Barbara gathered with their children and grandchildren often. They particularly enjoyed their annual summer trip to Kanuga in the North Carolina mountains, where John and Barbara would relax and reconnect with their children and grandchildren.

Music was an important part of John’s life. He played trombone in his high school and Coast Guard bands and throughout his adulthood. A special “musical highlight” for John was playing with members of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band during his daughter Laura’s wedding reception in New Orleans in 1998.

An active athlete through most of his years, John played football and ran track in high school, played fraternity sports in college, and organized and participated on several Shell Oil recreational teams. In the 1970’s, he began to run, and he eventually ran 19 Marathons– including the Boston Marathon. He served as the President of the New Orleans Track Club in the 70s, where he grew the population of the club and developed several initiatives including NOTC “Fun Runs" in City Park to introduce running to children.

John was preceded in death by his father, Henry George McMahon; by his mother, Neenah Wester McMahon; his brothers, Henry George McMahon, Jr. and Philip John McMahon. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; his daughter, Laura McMahon Lindemann and her husband Keven John Lindemann; his son, Henry George McMahon III; and his grandchildren, Julia McKenzie Lindemann, John Allen Lindemann, Matthew Stewart Lindemann, Charles Albert Lindemann, Thomas Anthony McMahon and Connor William McMahon. He is also survived by his brother, Daniel Webster McMahon and his wife Polly; his sister, Nancy McMahon Pecot and her husband Charles; his brother-in-law, Robert Barton Allen and his wife Shirley; his brother-in-law, the Rev. John Gwin Allen, Jr. and his wife Cynthia; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A Memorial Mass will be offered at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, December 20th, at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, 1801 Sage Road in Houston, where Fr. Leon Strieder will celebrate. Immediately following, all are invited to greet the family and share stories of John during a reception at St. Pius X High School, 811 West Donovan Street in Houston.

In lieu of customary remembrances, the family graciously appreciates contributions to one of the following charities: Dominican Sisters of Houston, 6501 Almeda Road, Houston, TX, 77021; St. Pius X High School for John T. McMahon Teaching Chair, St. Pius X High School, Office of Advancement, 811 W. Donovan St., Houston, TX, 77091; the IGA Nephropathy foundation at https://igan.org/donate/.

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