Obituary of Steven David McLaughlin

Friends called him learned, gentle, kind, witty and polite. Steve had a dry sense of humor and a unique contagious laugh. He was an avid traveler, golfer, poker player and student of Civil War history. Steve loved the mountains and waters of the Northwest and the lakes of Michigan. His work was a passion, but his family was the center of his world. Steve and Gail Lynne (McNaughton) would have celebrated 49 loving years of marriage exactly two months from the day he died. His sons Eric and Bryan were the light of his life, though the loss of Bryan at a young age was a low point of Steve's life. Eric's son Peter, was a great source of pride and joy for Steve. Born in Vallejo, CA, Steve was raised in Worthington, Ohio and summered on Walloon Lake in northern Michigan. Steve graduated from Whetstone High School where the football captain and the cheerleader met. The same day he graduated from college they were married. He earned his MA in sociology at Bowling Green State University and his doctorate at Washington State University. He taught at the university level until he joined Battelle Memorial Institute in 1979. Over 30 years in research and development took him to President of the Health and Life Sciences Global Businesses division at Battelle, providing leadership to labs and research centers around the globe. Over the years, he wrote numerous articles and books, and presented at speaking engagements, panels and media events. His work was well known in the area of women studies, speaking internationally as well as testifying before congress on equal pay for women. When Steve passed, he was painstakingly working on a book depicting the little -known story of a slave uprising led by Denmark Vesey, in Charleston SC. He is survived by his spouse Gail (McNaughton) McLaughlin of Oracle, AZ, by his son Eric Steven (Pauline) McLaughlin and grandson, Peter, of Redlands, CA, and sisters Kathleen (James) Laake of Chino Valley, AZ, Nancy McLaughlin of Copalis Beach, WA, Susan (Mark) Moultrup of Treasure Island, FL. His son, Bryan Kevin McLaughlin and his parents David and Jean (Kineke) McLaughlin preceded him in death. Recent favorite quotes; "We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones," Richard Dawkins Unweaving the Rainbow "To live at all is miracle enough." Mervyn Peaks The Glassblower