Irvin Owen Johns , 80, went home to our Heavenly Father on Thursday, November 14, 2024.

Born in Louisville, Kentucky on February 5,1944, he is the son of the late Simon and Beulah Johns. He grew up in South Louisville, KY, where he was in the class of '62 at Southern High School.

Irvin, a Christian by faith, has been married to his wife, Gina, for 24 years. During their time together they've enjoyed country line dancing, taking family vacations, spending time with their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, traveling to racetracks where Irvin drag raced, and collecting old gas and oil memorabilia.

Work history: In 1969, Irvin started Suburban Wrecker Service with a used '63 Chevy 1 ton wrecker, painted orange and white. As the company grew, in 1991, he opened a state of the art facility sitting on 4 ½ acres at 1006 Industrial Blvd, Louisville, KY. In 1997, Suburban Wrecker Service was acquired in a rollup in which Irvin Johns remained terminal manager. In 2002, Irvin, and his wife, Gina, regained ownership of the business and renamed it Suburban Towing, Inc. Irvin worked hard updating the fleet, adding new lowboys, rotators, tractors, and more. While he worked hands-on daily, he grew the company by building strong customer relationships, offering top notch service, and employed a great team of drivers, mechanics, and office staff. Today, Suburban is Kentucky's largest towing company, known for its Special Recovery Group of highly trained operators, along with light duty, heavy duty, and transport services. Suburban employs 83 people, operates 100+ trucks, and has locations in Louisville, Southern Indiana, and Texas. His proudest moment was overseeing his team's "recovery of a lifetime" during the 2nd Street Bridge tractor trailer recovery (March 2024). He was a well known leader in the towing industry with a legacy that sets the bar high.

Racing history: Irvin had a love of fast cars in his teenage years. In 1963, he began racing in Bowling Green, KY, in his '63 Z11 Chevy. During this year, he raced for the first time at the US Nationals. By 1964, Irvin started racing his 1948 Lemonwood Yellow, Anglia A/G, titled "Mr Custard", until he flipped it over end to end 6 times at Ohio Valley. After a break to get his business going, he started tractor pulling at the Ky State Fair in 1978. By 1980, he built a 4x4 Super Stock truck named "Color Me Gone" and earned a National Championship with it in 1982. Irvin set his mind on the big trophy at the National Farm Machinery Show. While pulling with his son Brian, the wins started to come. In 1985 he won 3rd place, in 1986 he won 2nd place, and in 1987 he won 1st place in the National Farm Machinery Show with his "Color Me Gone"! After reaching the top, Irvin retired from truck pulling.

In 2002, he debuted his 2000 Cavalier GT/BA and his NHRA Drag Racing career began with "Best Appearing Car" at Edgewater Ohio raceway. Irvin became "Indiana Johns" in 2005 when he debuted his 2005 Cobalt GT/BA. Continuing to race Super Stock, Irvin decided to also try racing in the Stock class as well. He acquired a 2008 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak as they were introduced. White with black racing stripes, "Hoosier Hemi" named, this was the first drag pak to race in 2009, and also the first to finish under 10 seconds. His drag pak was featured in both Mopar magazine and a Mopar calendar. In his 22 years racing, Irvin won close to 50 NHRA class competitions in super stock. He won 4 divisional races: 2003 Chicago, 2016 Atlanta, 2019 Bowling Green and 2021 St. Louis. In 2019, Irvin won the title of Division 3 Super Stock Champ. Even with all his successes, Irvin's dream had been to capture a national win from NHRA. Irvin succeeded in his dream on May 21, 2023 when he won a NHRA National event with his 2005 Chevy Cavalier Super Stock at the Gerber Route 66 Nationals. The national win also brought a new title. At age 79, Irvin became the NHRA's oldest national event winner. Irvin went on to beat his own record, when he won the Jegs SportsNationals on July 12, 2024, at age 80. He refused to let his age determine his limits. Irvin leaves behind a large racing family, along with his teammates Gary Frantz, Todd Frantz, and Jim Metcalf. His legacy in his NHRA career will be remembered, not just by his successes, but as recognized by his 2016 Charlie Bohannon Memorial Award for: "Being quick to help fellow racers at the track" and "Always having a car available and ready to put their name on it as needed."

He is preceded in death by his parents, Simon and Beulah Johns; his daughters, Melanie and Kelly Johns; his brother, James R. "Buddy" Johns; his sister, Joy Johns Clemons; and brother-in-Law, Paul Burdine.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Regina "Gina" Johns; his sister, Marilyn Burdine; mother-in-law, Marilyn "Kay" Wolfe; sons, Scott Johns (Peggy), Brian Johns (Christi); stepson, Tyler Roach (Rachel); step-daughter, Kristina "Kristi" Lay (Sam); granddaughter, Kristin Whobrey (Toby); grandsons, Brian "BJ" Johns II (Ceaira), Tyler Johns, Alex "AJ" Johns, Brayden Roach, and Braxton Roach; along with 3 great granddaughters, 2 great grandsons, 3 bonus great grandchildren, 6 sisters-in-law, 4 brothers-in-law, and several nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held at Garr Funeral Home, 7806 County Rd 311, Sellersburg IN, Wednesday, November 20, 2024, from 12:00pm until 8:00pm. On Thursday, November 21, 2024, there will be an early morning viewing at Kingdom Life Church, 11515 US-31, Sellersburg, IN beginning at 9:00am, followed by an 11:00am Funeral Service held in Irvin's honor.

Expressions of sympathy may be made to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation/Kentucky Chapter.