John (Jack) McEwan, passed away Thursday, July 6th, 2023, at Concord Hospital – Concord New Hampshire.
John was born May 4th, 1938, Son of the late Sheldon and Pearl (Lake) McEwan. He was raised in Rochester, NH until he was six years old, when his family moved to Wayland, MA. His parents adopted a little girl named Karen that same year. VE Day occurred near Jack’s 7th birthday and he recalled running down Route 20 cheering.
John was quite a remarkable young man. He dreamed of going to exciting places and trying new things. When he was nine years old, he wanted to ski in North Conway NH during his school vacation. His parents told him he would need to pay for this extravagant vacation. Jack called the Ski Area, which also had a restaurant and explained his plight. The owner asked if he knew how to wash dishes. Since this was one of Jack’s many talents, he rode the “Ski Train” from Boston to North Conway. He skied all day and washed dishes all night.
Jack won a scholarship to Cardigan Mountain School and attended grades 7 – 9 there. After that he went to Brown and Nichols. One day after getting his driver’s license at sixteen he was ready to drive a 1949 Renault that he had rebuilt. Jack attended Viewpoint (Barlow School) where he graduated from the Prep School as Valedictorian of his class. He and his friend Ted were coeditors of the school’s first Yearbook. Jack’s adventurous spirit led to him selecting a college due to its ski program, track program and other rather adventurous fields of study. Jack attended Middlebury College in 1956. He was restless and questioned what he was doing in his life. He sat down with the Dean of Students, who suggested he take a year off.
Jack headed out to California where he secured a job as a hooker on the California pipeline. He started in Donner Pass, Needles and then across the Mohave Dessert. The work was hard and hot.
One day he went to see the movie “Peyton Place” while living in Bakersfield, and after seeing the movie which was set in New England, Jack packed himself up and hitchhiked home. Jack returned to Middlebury in 1958 and worked hard in school and in sports, attaining three letters in Soccer, Skiing and track. He was a member of KDR Fraternity and enjoyed this new experience. While skating at the local ice rink, he was turning when his leg broke. Sadly, it was a spiral fracture which required surgery, but enabled him to bring his much loved car to school.
Jack graduated in 1961 from Middlebury College with a bachelor’s degree in business economics. Because of his broken leg, he did not go to ROTC in 1960. However after graduation he reported to Fort Devens in Ayer, Massachusetts. Before traveling to Fort Belvoir in Virginia he met Janice Hall. They married on February 19, 1962.
The next adventure of Jack’s life was being accepted into Flight School with the US Army in June of 1962. Off they went to Fort Rucker for Jack’s training. In 1963 he transitioned to the Caribou aircraft, and they moved to Monterey, California. In June of that year Jack joined the 18th Aviation Company and flew to Nha Trang , Vietnam. He was able to come home in January for the birth of their first child, Jonathan. He returned to Vietnam in early 1964 and was sent to Pleiku, Ban Me Thuot, and Saigon. Jack felt the urge for another adventure, so he got a motorcycle in Siem Reap and drove out to Angkor Wat. This was a place Jack spoke about frequently during his life. Jack went to Fort Benning in June of 1964 to participate in the Air Assault exercises. He joined the 17th Aviation Company and was promoted to Captain. He ferried Caribous to Vietnam and although he never flew helicopters, he was the EXO of a helicopter. While spending his last days in the military as a flight instructor at Fort Benning company’ He was honorably discharged on May 9th, 1966. He prepared for civilian life.
Jack hitchhiked to New York City and walked into the Pan Am Building. He’d heard that they were looking for pilots, so he finished filling out the application, and was hired the same day June 20th, 1966. After training in Miami Florida, a new adventure began for Jack and his family when they moved to Hong Kong. During his time there he helped to carry out soldiers on the R&R respites. However, it was also while there that he took several trips. He explored India, Nepal. Their apartment was on Red Hill overlooking the city.
In 1968 Jack returned to JFK and transitioned to the 707 aircraft. In June of 1970 he was offered a position in Germany flying the Internal German Routes. Off they went to find a home in Starnberg, in Bavaria. Many trips were taken, but the two special ones were a 6000 km trip in his old VW Square back. They visited Austria, Yugoslavia, Greece and Bulgaria. The next was a 10,000 km trip to Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, (Moscow) and Minsk, Smolensk Warsaw and East Berlin.
They returned to the USA in 1973 and decided to look for a home in New Hampshire. They purchased Rose Farm in 1974 with 185 acres of Apple Trees and 7 acres of antique Varieties.
Jessica was born in 1978, and later that year Jack transferred from Berlin to San Francisco as a 747 Co-pilot. And thus began Jack’s busy schedule of training 1980 he was Co-Pilot on the 727, 1981 Co-Pilot on the L1011, 1983 back to the 747, and finally in 1985 a copilot seat on the A-300 Airbus.
In 1987 Jack said goodbye to apple farming and upon meeting up with an old friend found new adventures ahead. On April 9th, 1988, Jack married his second wife, Maribeth Jewel. Together they bought a Morgan Out Island 52-foot sailboat. “Jellybean” The adventures began with a honeymoon trip from Miami, Fl to Kittery Maine. And then back again. It was a trip of great beauty, peace and quiet.
Pan Am offered Jack and our friend and fellow A-300 Airbus pilot George a temporary assignment in Berlin, German. We flew over in May and stayed until September. During the off days from flying Jack planned detailed vacation stops around Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. One day we attempted to get as many stamps in our Passports as possible. Upon returning from Berlin Jack was awarded a 727 Captaincy with Pan Am. He was thrilled. Shortly after Delta Airlines called and offered him the same job with them. They had purchased the Pan Am Shuttle and were looking for experienced pilots. With a heavy heart and after 25 years with Pam Am, Jack left and gained a job with Delta Airlines.
Jack and Maribeth moved to Punta Gorda, Florida which was an easy commute for Jack to Atlanta. He went in for training on the L1011 thus starting another round of continued training. The hilarious part of this training period was that Jack was fully licensed on the L1011, the 757, and the 767 for a period of time.
Jack’s last Captaincy was on the MD 88, which he called the “Mad Dog”. On the day he landed for the last time in Atlanta, he was met with a rainbow of water from the Airport fire department.
Jack and Maribeth moved back to New Hampshire where they built a home near both the lakes and the mountains. They traveled overseas. They enjoyed a few cruises and raised three litters of wire-haired puppies. Jack continued to raise a few fruit trees and was happiest when he was outside. John is survived by his wife Maribeth McEwan, Three grown children Jonathan, Jessica, and Amanda and two grandchildren, Savannah and Quinn. He also leaves behind his much-loved White German Shepherd, Lili and Wirehaired dachshund, Heidi. A graveside service will be held at the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery, 110 Daniel Webster Highway, Boscawen, NH on Tuesday, July 11th at 12:00pm.
https://www.mayhewfuneralhomes.com/memorials/john-mcewan/5227991/index.php