John C. McLaughlin

John Charles McLaughlin, 92, East Grand Forks, MN, died August 26, 2012. John was born September 20, 1919 in Viscount, Saskatchewan, Canada, the son of Archibald and Annie Ellen (Wilson) McLaughlin. John's parents immigrated from Canada to the United States with their family in 1926 and began farming outside of Thompson, North Dakota. John graduated from Thompson High School and enlisted in the US Navy where he served in World War II from 1942 to 1945. After being honorably discharged, he married R. Elaine Odegard November 29, 1946. He served for a year as a fireman with the Great Northern Railway before accepting a position as an air traffic controller with the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) in Grand Forks, North Dakota. John's retirement from his civil service position with the FAA after 25 years allowed him to seek employment with the Grand Forks Public School System where he worked as a custodian for an additional ten years. From there, he began volunteering at the Valley Memorial Horne-Almonte Living Center where his wife was then residing. In addition to his volunteer work, he assisted in caring for Elaine and ate his evening meal with her each day. He later volunteered with the Grand Forks Humane Society. John was involved in serving his country, working in his professional career, or with his volunteer projects for over 55 years. As a father, John always fostered a love of sports and encouraged his children to play neighborhood games of baseball, softball, basketball, football, ice skating, hockey, and sledding. He loved to tell stories; he had a great sense of humor; he was a great conversationalist; and he remained very interested in world events. Throughout his working and volunteering careers, he always made time for golfing, which he enjoyed and shared with his children and grandson. At age 89, John took several family members to St. Andrews, Scotland where they all enjoyed a week of golfing and site-seeing. It was truly a trip of a lifetime. John is survived by his daughters: Margaret, Kansas City, Missouri; Susan, Grand Forks, North Dakota; his son, Jack (and wife Mary), East Grand Forks, Minnesota; his grandson, Kelly, (and wife Sweet), also of East Grand Forks, Minnesota. He was preceded in death by his son, Terrence, his wife, Elaine, and by his sister, Mary. Funeral Service: Will be held Friday, August 31, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. in Amundson Funeral Home 2975 S. 42nd St Grand Forks, ND 58201 Visitation will be held 1 hour prior to the start of the service in the funeral home. Interment will be held in Memorial Park North Cemetery