John K. Morrical Sr.

John K. Morrical, Sr., 84 of Carmel, passed away Wednesday, November 17, 2021.  John was born August 10, 1937 in Camden, NJ to the late Keron C. and Dorothy E. Morrical.

John grew up in St. Louis, MO where he attended Ladue High School (he was a 3-sport athlete and an Eagle Scout) and Washington University. In 1960 he entered the Naval Flight Training Program in Pensacola, FL. After receiving his wings, he spent two years with a squadron in Okinawa, Japan flying FJ-3 Fury jets. He was fiercely proud of his military aviation record and would recall with pride that his carrier landing report card was void of any red-flagged waveoffs. His radio call sign was “Shoes,” short for Goody-Two-Shoes, which might make sense until you met him and realized he was actually a mischievous character at heart.

After the Navy, John returned to Washington University to study business. While his weekdays were busy working towards his BSBA, his weekends were spent fending off starvation in the Naval Air Reserve at the Olathe Naval Air Station. He was assigned to a fighter squadron flying the Douglas F4D Skyray.

His love of flying continued after his military career when in 1964 he joined McDonnell Aircraft in the Fighter Aircraft Sales Department.

A friend at McDonnell introduced John to Karen Giss, and they were married in Little Rock, AR in 1965. Two years later, the couple moved to Dallas, TX. He worked at a regional investment firm and later at Mercantile Bank, where he was Executive VP and Chairman of their Capital Markets division. While working in banking, he still found time to serve in a Naval Reserve fighter squadron flying the F8U Crusader. This was arguably his favorite airplane, and the pilots called themselves the “Last of the Gunfighters.” If you were ever blessed to be standing next to John at a party, you can undoubtedly recite a few of his F8 stories from memory. Though he had two jobs and two children — John Jr. and Ann-Marie — he must have thought he wasn’t busy enough and managed to complete a 2-year graduate program at SMU’s School of Banking.

He owned various small planes over the years and logged countless hours flying his family all around the southwest, sharing his aviation knowledge with all of them. He taught Karen to stay alert and watch for traffic. His son eventually learned to fly the planes. His daughter unfortunately only learned how to throw up in them.

1989 brought a move to Connecticut with stints at National Westminster Bank and the Bank of New York. He finally retired (again) and returned to flying, this time as an instructor. Flying in the northeast opened up new opportunities for travel and exploration; he would like readers to know that the clam chowder at the Nantucket airport counter is unrivaled as long as you get there before 2pm. John’s time in Connecticut was also spent with the Boy Scouts of America, the Greenwich Council and the Fairfield Orchestra.

In 2004, John and Karen made their final move to Carmel, IN where he blossomed as a grandfather and enthusiastically joined every organization available to him including St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, The Society of the Quiet Birdmen, The Chevaliers, Scientech, the Rainbow Club and the Central Indiana Soaring Society.  He was an avid golfer at Meridian Hills Country Club and though he continued to fly, he was told that if he flew planes like he golfed, he wouldn’t reach his next birthday. He continued to nurture his life-long passion for photography, leaving his family a staggering wealth of images ranging from toddler birthday parties to riveting collections of tree bark and fruit bowls.

John soared from earth with over 8,000 hours flying (4,000+ as an instructor), holding Commercial, Single and Multi-Engine Land with Instrument ratings, a Certified Flight Instructor, Certified Instrument Instructor and Certified Glider Instructor. He was better known to friends and family by his other accolades: Most Likely to Spill Something, Best Pterodactyl Impression, World’s Favorite Grandpa, Top Gun Movie Fact Checker, Verified Loyal Friend and Ever Loving Husband. His children would like to thank him for passing down his dry and sometimes inappropriate sense of humor, his intellect, his fighter-pilot vision, and the inability to hear a single thing under 85 decibels.

A memorial service celebrating John’s life will be held at 11:00 am Tuesday, November 23rd at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in the Robertson Chapel.

John is survived by his wife of 56 years, Karen; children, Ann-Marie (Nick) Deets and John K. Morrical, Jr.; grandchildren, Jackson, Peyton and Crosby Deets; brother, Richard (JoAnne) Morrical; niece, Heather (John) Mangione and nephew, Greg Morrical.  John was preceded in death by his sister, Ellen Morrical.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the donor’s favorite charity.  Please visit flannerbuchanan.com to sign the online guest register.