John J.

Mcgowan, Sr.

McGowan
John J., Sr.

John J. McGowan, Sr. passed away peacefully on September 2, 2015 at The Manor at Perrysburg. Born on August 26, 1928 to J. Harry and Veronica Rose McGowan, he was a veteran of World War II and was honorably discharged following service with the U.S. Army Medical Corps while stationed in Japan. He graduated from Central Catholic High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1950 from the University of Toledo, where he majored in premedical studies. While in college, he also considered employment in the field of entertainment, working as a disc jockey for WTOD and booking orchestras with his older brother, Jim. He finally settled on a career in real estate; postgraduate studies in related topics included a Hollywood, California internship with the Business Exchange Corporation. In 1952, he and his father and brother went into business as McGowan Realtors and Builders.
A state-certified general real estate appraiser, McGowan specialized in the areas of eminent domain, corporate expansion, and investments; he testified as an expert witness in the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas as well as other counties in the surrounding area and was instrumental in laying the groundwork for what now is the Ohio Turnpike and Interstate 75 in northwest Ohio. He served as consultant to numerous corporate clients, including Owens-Illinois and Owens-Corning, and the Ohio Turnpike Commission. McGowan was also in demand as a lecturer for the Toledo chapters of American Society of Appraisers and Society of Real Estate Appraisers, as an instructor at the University of Toledo, and as a seminar speaker for the Toledo Board of Realtors. From 1969-1984, he was a member of the Lucas County Plan Commission.
In his spare time, McGowan was an enthusiastic and accomplished golfer, especially while a member of Sylvania Country Club, and joined his late wife in supporting the arts; he served his parish church, St. Joan of Arc, as an usher and Eucharistic minister.
John J. McGowan was preceded in death by his parents and by his wife of over 60 years, Mary Ruth Luetke McGowan. He is survived by his brother, James H. McGowan (Barbara); children Mary Rose McGowan Baine (Larry A. Baine), John J. McGowan, Jr., Esq. (Mary C. McGowan), and Sarah Ellen McGowan (Jeffrey Bullerman); grandchildren Benjamin Andrew Baine, Carolyn Rose McGowan, and Dr. Nicholas Allen Baine (Elaine Knepp Baine); and numerous nieces and nephews.
Family will receive friends Saturday, September 12 after 9 a.m. at St. Joan of Arc Church on Heatherdowns; a Funeral Mass will follow at 10 a.m., with interment at Resurrection Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Francis de Sales High School or to Senior Independence Hospice, whose constant and often extraordinary support was greatly appreciated by the family. Arrangements entrusted to the Foth-Dorfmeyer Mortuary. Online condolences may be left at www.fothdorfmeyer.com