Richard Hale McLaughlin
OBITUARY
Richard Hale McLaughlin (Chopper), age 75, of Pasadena, CA. After a brave battle with Parkinson’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia. He took his last breath peacefully at his home in Connecticut surrounded by his family on Tuesday, August 13, 2024. Rick is survived by his children, Hughes McLaughlin (Kelley), Caitlin McNeil (Kyle), and Jamie McLaughlin, and three grandchildren, Lillian-Grace Mclaughlin, Elizabeth-May McLaughlin, and Hudson Ryder McLaughlin. He is survived by his brother, Ed McLaughlin III (Denise), and sister, Anne Ruttle (Paul). He was preceded in death by his wife of 43 years, Hope McLaughlin, and his parents, Ed McLaughlin II and Bette May McLaughlin. Rick greatly enjoyed his education, which began at St. Brendan. In 8th grade, he attended Ecole Nouvelle Chailly in Lausanne, Switzerland and then Loyola High School. Rick attended the University of Denver, graduating with a degree in Business Administration, and then went on to earn his Masters in Architecture from the University of Minnesota. A true engineer at heart, Rick enjoyed taking apart complicated structures and reconstructing them for today’s modern environment. His career as an architect began in 1979 at Langdon & Wilson. In 1984, Rick founded McLaughlin Associate Architects, where he served as executive principal architect for over 35 years. Rick loved to stay active. He enjoyed many trades including golf, skiing, tennis, woodworking, ping pong, foosball, dominoes, gin rummy, grilling, and his yo-yo (Mr. Yo-Jo). He played an active role in his children’s lives by teaching them the activities he loved. He coached their teams and instilled in them the importance of many valuable life lessons: being present, doing your best, learning from mistakes and, most of all, showing sportsmanship. Although he would swear he was “a strict meat and potatoes guy,” desserts (especially ice cream) played a big role in Rick’s happiness. At heart, Rick was a very special guy who was always honest, honorable and pleasant to deal with. He will be greatly missed. The McLaughlin family will hold a private memorial service in Rick’s honor at a later date. In lieu of flowers, you are invited to make a donation in Rick’s memory to support the Michael J. Fox Foundation’s Parkinson’s research. Please visit: https://give.michaeljfox.org/give
