Gladys Vivian (Garey) McLaughlin (1937 - 2015)

Died 4 Apr 2015 at age 77 in Sandy Hook, Fairfield County, Connecticut

Biography

Obituary; East Liverpool Review [East Liverpool, Columbiana County, Ohio]; Friday, April 10, 2015; Page 5A

Gladys Vivian (Garey) McLaughlin

SANDY HOOK, Conn. - Gladys Vivian (Garey) McLaughlin, wife of Denny McLaughlin, mother of three and grandmother of six, celebrated forty nine years of happy marriage this past February before passing away at home, surrounded by family, on Saturday, April 4, 2015 in Sandy Hook, Conn.

Born on April 12, 1937, the eldest of seven children, Gladys grew up on a farm in Rogers, Ohio; always a bright student, she worked her way through college and was the first women to graduate with a degree in Chemical Engineering from Youngstown State University.

After marriage, Gladys stayed home to raise her three daughters, while supporting her husband's career in sales, which kept the family on the move. They finally settled in Connecticut, where she and Denny have resided for the past 36 years. Gladys was an avid homemaker and parent, a Girl Scout leader, a Eucharistic minister, and a CCD Teacher. To the kitchen she brought a scientific precision to baking her signature dishes of cookies, cakes and breads.

Shortly after moving to Connecticut, she began a new career as a lab manager in the pharmaceutical industry, where she remained for the next 23 years. Successful in her profession, she retired at age 65 and happily began a new chapter in life, which included the pursuit of piano lessons and day trips to New York City for live concerts or museum visits. Most importantly, she looked forward to spending time with her grandchildren, with a special focus on planning the annual summer beach week in Ocean City, N.J..

Her last years were busy and happy. As a volunteer with the Friends of C.H. Booth Library she became known as 'the puzzle lady". She assembled thousands of two- dimensional jigsaw puzzles, along with her team of puzzlers, and sold them at the Friends of the Library Book Sale. She was also a volunteer book mender. She also served 2 years as President of the Newtown Woman's Club.

Gladys is survived by her husband Denny McLaughlin of Sandy Hook; daughter Elizabeth McLaughlin of Washington, DC; daughter Michele McLaughlin and her husband John Sommer and their children Brady and Brendan of Alexandria, Va.; daughter Rosalie DiLiberto and her husband Charlie and their children, Grace, Adira, Luke and Sean of Queens, N.Y. She is also survived by four sisters and one brother: Arlene Westfall of Morgantown, W.Va.; Mary(Peggy) Cunningham of Lexington, N.C.; Nancy Schafer of Wellsville, Ohio; Linda Williams of Stowe, Ohio and Joseph Garey of Akron, Ohio.

Gladys was much loved by all who knew her, especially her nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Vivian Ruth (Holt) Gilmore and Phillip Ivan Garey, Sr.; her step-father Herbert Oscar Gilmore; her brother Phillip Ivan Garey, Jr. and former son-in-law Buck Breland.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in St. Joseph's Church, Brookfield, Conn. Thursday April 9, 2015 at 10 a.m. Friends may call at the Honan Funeral Home, 58 Main St., Newtown, Conn. Wednesday from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Regional Hospice and Homecare of Western Connecticut, 30 Milestone Road, Danbury, CT 06810.

Sources

• Obituary of Gladys Vivian (nee. Garey) McLaughlin; East Liverpool Review [East Liverpool, Columbiana County, Ohio]; Friday, April 10, 2015; Page 5A.