Dr. John L. McGowan

Reverend Dr. John Lewis McGowan, 99, of Valdosta, passed away peacefully on Saturday, May 3, 2025, at home surrounded by his family. Dr. McGowan was born in Quitman, Georgia on November 22, 1925, to the late Norman Edward McGowan and Mary Lewis McGowan. At a young age his family moved to Valdosta where he grew up, graduating from Valdosta High School in 1943.

Following graduation, he joined the U.S. Navy during WWII and was stationed in Bellingham, WA, processing sailors that were being deployed out to the Pacific or returning from the Pacific. After his active-duty service Dr. McGowan continued to serve in the Naval Reserves for five years. After WWII he returned to Valdosta and married his high school sweetheart, the former Martha Register, on September 19, 1946, at First United Methodist Church. They both were a part of the Valdosta Wildcat Marching Band. He was a trumpeter, and she was a majorette.

After he and Martha married, he joined his father-in-law in business at Register’s Men’s Clothing. While he enjoyed working with his father-in-law, he couldn’t deny that the Lord was calling him into the ministry. He then pursued his education as one of the first male students at Valdosta State College.

He attended seminary at Emory University and early on he began preaching in various Methodist Churches but quickly gained a reputation for being one of the best teachers and pastors in the state. Dr. McGowan spent the next 65 years loving people and bringing then closer to Christ, as he served many churches in the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church. After his retirement, he accepted 14 interim assignments with the last being in 2017 at the age of 91. This assignment was at Wright’s Chapel, which was one of the original churches he pastored in 1953. In 2023, Dr. McGowan was honored to be part of the first conference of the South Georgia Global Methodist Church at Epworth by the Sea.

While preaching was his calling and passion, his list of hobbies and interests was vast. He loved spending time building control line model airplanes. He loved woodworking and was known to build everything from kayaks to desks. He loved to restore old clocks, loved to teach the young people in his church youth groups how to water ski, and would fly kites on the beach any chance he was able to. He hiked the Appalachian trail numerous times, and loved all methods of two-wheel transportation, as he was often seen riding around town on his motor-scooter into his early 90’s.

He eventually worked towards and achieved his pilot’s license and owned his own plane, but the most important thing he did in his spare time was spend time with his family. Among all the things that Dr. McGowan built successfully, his family was his greatest achievement.

Dr. McGowan married Eleanor Strickland on June 27, 1999. They loved to travel and spent years going all over the United States, traveling through Canada up to Alaska, seeing the Grand Canyon, the Grand Tetons, Nova Scotia, and numerous other places. In addition to traveling, they’ve spent the last 26 years thriving as “Papa” and “Mimi,” to their grand-children, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren.

Dr. McGowan is survived by his wife Eleanor S. McGowan, of Valdosta, daughter and son-in-law Carol and Ron Irwin of Valdosta, son and daughter-in-law Lewis and Judy McGowan of Auburn, AL, son and daughter-in-law Paul and Lori McGowan, of Aiken, SC, stepson and his wife John and Amy Eldridge of Travelers Rest, SC, stepson and his wife Julian and Libby Eldridge of Oakland, CA, stepson Jefferies Eldridge of Valdosta, stepdaughter and her husband Eleanor and Parrish Clark of Valdosta, stepdaughter and her husband Mary Clarice and Jeff Hathaway of Kennesaw, GA, and stepdaughter-in-law and her husband Joy and Patrick Roberts of Pinetta, FL. He is deeply loved and will be greatly missed by his nineteen grand-children, sixteen great-grandchildren, two great-great grandchildren, as well as his sister-in-law Nancy McGowan of Wilmington, NC, numerous nieces and nephews, the Grady Jackson family, and the Billy Minchew family. In addition to his parents, Dr. McGowan was preceded in death by his first wife Martha McGowan, two sisters Mary Hutchens and Ann Davis, and brother Sam McGowan.

The family will have a visitation on Tuesday evening, May 6 from 5-7pm at the Carson McLane Funeral Home. Dr. McGowan’s funeral service will be held on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at Park Avenue Church at 11am, followed by a graveside service at Sunset Hill Cemetery. “Well done thy good and faithful servant.”

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Epworth-By-The-Sea, Park Avenue Church, and Wright’s Chapel Church. The family is deeply grateful for the care provided by Home Instead and Hospice of South Georgia. Online condolences may be shared on the obituary page at www.mclanefuneralservices.com.

Carson McLane Funeral Home is assisting the McGowan Family at this time.