James Carrol McMullen

Retired California Highway Patrol officer James Carrol McMullen passed away on July 22, 2024, at the age of 66.

Born on October 22, 1957 in Phoenix, Arizona, James was the son of Jack McMullen and Eleanor Gripman. After living in Arizona for the first 9 years of his life, James and family moved to Long Beach, California in 1966, with their 5 children and youngest sister on the way. While still a young boy, James had a paper route and later a job at a nearby motel. He saved his money to take his siblings to Disneyland and also helped older sister Sharon buy the younger kids Christmas and birthday gifts whenever their father was unemployed, which was quite often. He attended Edison Elementary, Washington Junior High, and graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School in 1975, where he was part of the JROTC.

Army boot camp in South Carolina was the next stop on James’s life path and at the age of 18, he married his high school sweetheart, Venus Ida. While he was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, Venus gave birth to James’s only child, James Kaoru McMullen. Later on, the marriage ended while James was stationed in Honolulu and little James was a baby. James was granted an honorable discharge to return to Long Beach with his son, giving his mom and four sisters the opportunity to help raise little James in his early years.

A career in law enforcement began when James was a Military Police officer in the army. Next was a stint with the Long Beach Police Department as a Park and Beach Patrol officer, and he thoroughly enjoyed patrolling on a bike in the summer. Then came his tenure as a State Police officer, where his duties included protecting Governor George Deukmejian when he came to visit his hometown of Long Beach. James met and married fellow State Police Officer Bertha Mejia, but they divorced after 10 years of marriage. The State Police and California Highway Patrol eventually merged, making James a highway patrol officer. Being a jokester, James took glee in “pulling over” friends and family to make them believe they were getting a ticket until they realized who was laughing.

The last stage of James’s life began when he married fellow Poly Jackrabbit, Rosario “Rosie” Celis, a flight attendant. After retiring from law enforcement, James had a short stint as a Department of Motor Vehicles investigator. By this time, James and Rosie had divorced, but they maintained a friendly relationship. So, when James became ill, Rosie moved him from Corona back to Long Beach with her, so she could look after him, and he would be closer to family.

James was a cop through and through and delighted in anything to do with law enforcement, and that included watching police shows like Dragnet, Adam-12, Hawaii Five-O, Cops, SWAT, Highway Patrol, and CHiPs, of course. Getting Adam-12 Actor Kent McCord’s autograph was a major highlight for James. 

James grew up with a menagerie of pets at the McMullen home, which enabled him to have a deep fondness for animals. He often brought home strays he found on the street, and near the end of his life, James took care of his and Rosie’s two dogs and even bought nuts to feed the neighborhood squirrels.

The Los Angeles Dodgers was his favorite baseball team, but his sports passion was the Dallas Cowboys. He watched all of the Cowboys games he could on TV and even attended Cowboys practices and games whenever possible. James’s devotion to the Cowboys lives on in his son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. 

As a young boy, James put together model airplanes and hung them all from his bedroom ceiling. James’s fondness for model planes turned into the joy of attending air shows with his sister Louise, where he could identify airplanes by the sound of their engines. Finally, James’s love of exercise throughout his life was legendary. He was a dedicated “gym rat” and runner who kept himself in great shape until he became too sick to exercise. He enjoyed drinking Dr. Pepper, listening to country music and Elvis Presley, eating old-time ribbon candy, and watching John Wayne movies. 

James is survived by his faithful caregiver Rosie McMullen; his son, James (Jennifer) and two grandchildren, Mackenzie and James. He also leaves his siblings: Sharon, Micheal (Tess), Patty Martinez (Jerry), Donna Forney (Bodie), and Louise (Mike), and also several cousins, nieces, and grandnieces. He was preceded in death by his parents and baby brother, William Chesley. James also leaves a variety of friends, going all the way back to his childhood in Long Beach, who will miss him dearly.