John Cowan Muirhead Jr.

John Cowan Muirhead Jr. was born November 25, 1925 in Yucaipa, California at home to parents; Cecelia Muirhead and John Muirhead Sr. and entered eternal rest on April 24, 2020 in Gun Barrel City, Texas.

Cecelia Muirhead who was born in Detroit, Michigan of immigrant parents from Poland and John Muirhead Sr. who was born in Glasgow, Scotland and came to America with his parents as a small boy. John Sr.’s claim to fame was playing football with Jim Thorpe. John Jr. was born a twin but his identical twin died soon after birth. The doctor came to their house, delivered John Jr. and left. Soon after his mother gave birth to another boy. The doctor came back but could not save him. We have wondered what John Jr.’s twin would be like – two John Muirheads? John Jr. only weighed four pounds. His father said he could fit in a shoe box. John had two sisters and one brother. John did all the normal child things in Junior High and High School. He was a good student, very athletic, and attended school in East Los Angeles, California. He made his letter in gymnastics and All City. His specialty was the iron cross. Even today not many gymnasts can do that. While in school he got his first car, a Model A Ford which he kept neat and shiney. Only working on the motor one time, he put the transmission in wrong and had to drive the car backward to school. In 1946 war was declared when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. John decided to defend his country. Upon telling his parents of his intentions his mother was upset and his father told him it was his decision to join the Navy and he would have a clean bed every night. John’s father had been in World War I and slept in trenches. John liked the Navy. He went to boot camp in San Diego, California and then shipped to the Philippines for four years where he became a deep sea diver, for which he wore the big suit and helmet. He was also a scuba diver and repaired the ships underwater. One time his fellow sailors thought he was out of the water and set off a detonator which blew him out of the water. Fortunately he only suffered a broken ear drum. John served on an LSM, which was a small ship #217. He slept on the deck where he could look at the stars. They were at sea for long periods until arriving at the island of Samoa. He and a sailor friend went on leave and did not return, which made them AWOL. When they decided to return to the ship it had moved but when they finally caught up with it their punishment was scrubbing the deck with toothbrushes. He said the beautiful island girls made it all worth the punishment. After being honorably discharged in 1946 he went to work with his father and brother at their packing house and trucking business. They had a warehouse where peaches were sorted then hauled to market in Los Angeles. One day while in Los Angeles he and his friend stopped at a drive in restaurant where a car hop named Toni took his fancy. Her boss did not like John after he saw John looking over the counter at her legs but for John and the car hop it was love at first sight. After a brief six month courtship they married in a Methodist Church in Montebello, California. John worked for his father part time and drove a local meat truck, then became a salesman. While working there John and his friend Bob Linder developed the steel studs still used today. During this time John and Toni had two children, the first after three years of marriage – Gregory Martin Muirhead who at six months won a beauty contest. Two years later they had a baby girl, Jodi Lynn Muirhead who was voted most beautiful in high school. While his children were growing up his life was happy with camping trips and water skiing. Jodi, Greg and John became very good skiers. John and the other fathers were the first on the Colorado River to drop skiers and pick them back up without stopping the boat. There were four to six skiers at a time. John joined the Shriners which lead to them taking many fun trips and entering parades in their colorful suits and curled toed boots.

John provided well for his family. He bought a 16 foot ski boat, then graduated to a 40 foot boat called the Lazy Mazy which slept eight but there were always more. Many happy hours were spent on the Lazy Mazy during trips to Catalina Island and just being on the ocean. Then a job change came, a big decision that was very hard on the family., Leaving their friends and family, and the children their schools, the family moved to Dallas, Texas. John started his Atlas Delivery trucking business where he worked with his son, Greg. Jodi went to college in Athens, Georgia where she met Rick and graduated. John was quite proud of his children and told people all about them. There were nine grandchildren and twenty great grandchildren. After many hard years working at his trucking business John turned it over to his son Greg who to John’s pride has made it prosperous. John also dabbled in politics, serving as mayor of Gun Barrel City for four years, then retiring. He and Toni traveled to many places, enjoying life, until his first hospital stay. John had a knee replacement and maintained a good outlook despite the pain. Also while on a cruise he had a gall bladder attack, was hospitalized in Portugal. Otherwise he was blessed with good health and the years went by quickly. The highlights were his 50th and 70th wedding anniversaries with Toni, at which they renewed their wedding vows. Toni wore her original wedding dress and John a tuxedo. Their son Greg was best man and daughter Jodi was maid of honor.

John was preceded in death by his parents, sisters; Agnes Shore and Helen Haas, grandson Quinn Martin Muirhead and granddaughter Sarah Joy (Shrader) Waller .

He is survived by wife Rowena (Toni) Muirhead of Gun Barrel City, son Gregory Martin Muirhead Sr. and wife Lisa of Gun Barrel City, daughter Jodi Lynn Shrader and husband Rick of Katy, granddaughter Jamie Brown and husband Cedrick of Tyler, grandson Tyler Muirhead of Gun Barrel City, grandson Gregory Muirhead, Jr. of Mabank, grandson John Shrader and wife Esther of Kafve, Zambia, grandsons; Jared Shrader, Seth Shrader, Joel Shrader of Houston, 20 great grandchildren, brother Frank Muirhead and wife Ila of California, other loving family members and many more friends.

Service will be livestreamed on the Eubank Cedar Creek Funeral Home and Memorial Park Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/Eubank-Cedar-Creek-Funeral-Home-and-Memorial-Park-113749918708749/