John Richard McGaugh

John McGaugh
March 22, 1938 to February 22, 2025

John Richard McGaugh was called to heaven to repair his last case of trouble (phone trouble). John, also known as Red, Dick, Richard, Grandpa and Daddy was born in Cottonwood, Arizona to Levi and Edith McGaugh.

John was a precocious, inquisitive little boy whose often-ornery antics were highlighted by his bright red, curly hair. Northern Arizona was his childhood playground, primarily Oak Creek Canyon and Flagstaff. He met Juanita Engle in band at Flagstaff High School, having caught her eye while playing the trombone with his feet. He knew he would "marry that girl" when he first saw her at school. When he asked Juanita's parents for her hand in marriage, Juanita's father, James Curtis Engle said, "On two conditions - you will have a fulltime job and a home for your family." John hired on with Mountain Bell and built his first house which is still standing in east Flag.

His career with the phone company spanned nearly 5 decades, retiring in 2003 when the company was known as Qwest. His fulltime work began with him climbing telephone poles and ended with him climbing to the top of radio towers and to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, as most of those years were spent as a radio technician servicing sites throughout northern Arizona. Back in those days, every phone call made in northern Arizona depended on John. The job called him away in the middle of the night, on holidays, after forest fires and during heavy snow when he utilized a snowcat to reach the towers. John and the snowcat were called out to assist Search & Rescue during the big storm of 1967. He was also called to assist with the television broadcast of the lunar landing.

John and Juanita had four kids who still live nearby with their spouses: Kathleen and husband Greg; Richard and his wife Julie; Becky and husband Mark Mask; and Gwen and husband Dan Groth. He is also survived by his granddaughters: Jennifer, Amanda, Chelsea, Kerri, Heather, Amber, Desirae and Rhiannon and eleven great-grandkids. He was the foundation of the family. He is predeceased by his parents and only brother, Edward "Lonnie" McGaugh.

Along with his steadfast employment for the phone company, John was not only a self-taught Jack-of-all-trades but a master-of-all-trades. He was self-sufficient with his own tasks, he built homes for friends, repaired cars, rebuilt giant Caterpillar D-9 dozers, and even built his own tractor, a little pink contraption known as "the weed beetle." Many people thought he had a genius mind, being able to find a problem with anything mechanical and fixing it. He also enjoyed gardening, photography (developed his own film!), welding, woodworking, and Mexican food... with lots and lots of salsa.

John was an accomplished musician, playing trombone in high school and the viola in the Flagstaff Symphony but his favorite instrument was the harmonica. He chose this because he could play it while driving to remote radio sites for work; pull it out of his pocket on a whim in a restaurant for any occasion; or play Christmas songs. He played by ear and made the small instrument sound like a band of harmonicas.

Flying was a passion for John and he obtained his pilot's license which he enjoyed for pleasure and to get closer to the radio sites he maintained. His Cessna 140 was not hard to miss with the blue Mountain Bell symbol on the tail of the red and white plane.

John enjoyed traveling, often on a whim, by plane, train, boat or automobile throughout the United States. These trips also helped him seek out additions to his collection of antique farm tractors.

John was a train enthusiast who built his own G-Scale railroad, switchboard and all. With the help of his brother, the railroad was complete with a sawmill and replica of McGaugh's Fuel & Feed Store which was their grandparent's business in Cottonwood after the depression.

His love of trains is exemplified in the poem he wrote in 2010 to serve as an obituary of sorts:

The Last Ride
By Dick, John, Red, Richard McGaugh
Don't grieve for me, for now I am free.
No more red lights, only green I see.
I have passed the last signal holding Jesus' hand,
Heading straight ahead to the promised land.
The train has made undue time,
We now come to the end of the line.
I leave no void, only a remembered story.
A friendship, a laugh, a kiss, a hand held in joy.
Perhaps my trip was way too brief,
Don't lengthen it now with undue grief.
Lift up your hearts and close the door.
Even though you love me, God loves me more.
God wants me now and has set me free.
I am riding the train to where I want to be.
I am going coach to everlasting peace,
God is very close; he is in my reach.
I will see you all very soon
And make sure you all get a room.

His greatest quality was helping anyone who needed assistance. The list of John's recipients of good will is lengthy. He did not want any fuss made over his passing but donations to the Salvation Army in Flagstaff are greatly appreciated. He volunteered many hours for the church and greatly enjoyed their musical component.