Johnnie Lee McMahan

July 30, 1928 – October 15, 2020

Johnnie Lee McMahan, former Grant County PUD manager and mayor of Ephrata, passed away Thursday, Oct. 15 at the age of 92.

Johnnie was born on a wheat farm near Logan, Kansas, on July 30, 1928, to Charley and Pauline (Hartshorn) McMahan. During the dust bowl the family had plans to move to Grand Coulee, Washington, for Charley to work at the dam. After a stop in Denver, Colorado, to visit family, Charley found work and they decided to remain there. Johnnie attended school there until he graduated Englewood High School in 1946 and enlisted in the Navy.

After receiving his honorable discharge from the Navy he returned to Denver and attended the University of Colorado under the GI Bill. He graduated with a degree in industrial engineering and was employed at the Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs teaching calculus. He went on to work for Gates Rubber Company in Denver before taking a job in Seattle with the Boeing Company working on the electrical design for the B-29 bomber. He and his then-wife Marjorie Holding decided the Seattle weather was not for them and returned to Denver. Johnnie was offered a job at Martin Marietta Corporation and went to work on the Titan missile program. His time at Martin included many trips to Ephrata, Washington, where he came to love the area.

In February 1963 he was divorced and met the love of his life, Grace Engelhardt. They married in August 1963 and Johnnie was offered a position at General Electric with their aerospace program working on the reusable Saturn rockets at the McNeil Test Flight Facility (now the John C. Stennis Space Center) in Picayune, Mississippi. He spent the next several years working on various classified aerospace and defense projects for GE, relocating to California and later back to Mississippi.

In 1976 Johnnie was offered the position of manager of city utilities in Springfield, Missouri. He oversaw the two coal-fired power generation stations and the construction of the Fulbright & Blackman Water Treatment Plant. When the manager position for Grant County PUD was open in 1982, Johnnie was happy to relocate the family to Ephrata, Washington. He spent the next several years managing the PUD, ultimately retiring in 1991.

Not one to simply retire, Johnnie was elected to the Ephrata City Council in 1998 and became mayor of Ephrata in 2000. He was instrumental in the development of Splash Zone, the new city pool. He pushed this project through even though it was initially not a popular one, knowing that it was important for the children of Ephrata. He was also one of the driving forces behind Walmart building a new store in Ephrata during his term. During retirement Johnnie held many volunteer positions over the years. He assisted his friend, former Washington Governor Mike Lowry, with the Washington Agricultural Families Assistance (WAFA), building several homes in the Ephrata area. He was on the Executive Board of the Grant County Economic Development Council and a member of the Grant County Board of Adjustments and the Grant County Strategic Infrastructure Planning Commission.

Johnnie was a loving and devoted father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He was extremely proud of all of his family. He is survived by his wife of 57 years Grace and children John David (Lynne) McMahan, Karen (John) Giles, and Valli (John) Millard. He had six amazing grandsons Josh (Cara) Giles, Scott (Ashley) Giles, Evan McMahan, Eric (Shelby) McMahan, Chase (Sara) Millard and Clayton Millard; and eight wonderful great-grandchildren Alina, Cayla, McKenna, Jaren, Brody, Evelyn, Vincent and Alexander.

He was preceded in death by his parents Charley and Pauline (Hartshorn) McMahan, sister Waunita (Stan) Berkman and an infant son.

To say he will be missed by his family is an understatement. He was our rock, and the kindest man you would ever meet, and always willing to help someone in need. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, make a donation to your favorite charity. Johnnie was ever one to “pay it forward.” The family would also like to thank the staff of Columbia Basin Hospital for their loving care over the past few weeks.

Per Johnnie's request, no services are planned.