Gerald McLaughlin

Funeral services for Gerald Lynn McLaughlin, 68, of Monroe, LA, will be held 10:00AM Tuesday morning, February 19th, 2008, at North Monroe Baptist Church with Rev. Marshall Douglas and Dr. Bill Dye officiating. Interment will follow in Monroe Memorial Park under the direction of the Kilpatrick Funeral Home of West Monroe.Mr. McLaughlin passed away Saturday, February 16th, 2008, at St Francis Medical Center following a lengthy illness. He was preceded in death by his son, Darryl Lynn McLaughlin, his parents, Claude Lynn McLaughlin and Freda Morrow Weathers, and granddaughter, Whitney Morgan McLaughlin.Gerald was born October 20th, 1939, in West Monroe, LA. He served his country honorably in the US Army and US Air Force. Following his service years he worked in the wholesale produce industry and was known locally as the ?Tomato Man.? He was also very talented with his hands and became a master auto body repairman. After retirement he enjoyed working with wood and made many beautiful pieces of furniture for his family. ?Papa? as he was affectionately known by his grandchildren, was an excellent cook. No one ever left Papa and Yaya?s house hungry and he loved cooking for his family and friends. Gerald also had a wonderful quick wit, and livened up the room with laughter. A member of North Monroe Baptist Church, he was also a Mason and a Shriner.Gerald is survived by his wife, Donna Douglas McLaughlin of Monroe. Sons, Joe and wife, Yukiko, of Bend, OR; Sean and wife, Jan, of Mobile, AL; Claude and wife, Roycanne and Clay and wife, Rhonda, all of West Monroe. Stepsons, Mark Price of Monroe, and Matthew Price and wife, Denise, of Keller, TX. 14 grandchildren, Craig, Naomi, Katie, Sean, Erin, Nick, Shannon, Hannah, and Brendon McLaughlin; Crystal, Lauren and Drake Price; Ashton Sikes and Raven LeBeau. One great grandchild, Alex Smith. Sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law: Yvonne Douglas of Shreveport; John and Helen Landby and Ray and Jerry Calloway of West Monroe; Ken and Betty Crawford of Denver, CO; George and Pat Douglas and Elsie and Ed Justice of Monroe; Marshall and Teresa Douglas of Jonesville; and numerous nieces and nephews.Grandsons and brothers-in-law will serve as pallbearers.A special thank you goes to the doctors, nurses and techs at Ouachita Dialysis. We appreciate the skilled care and compassion shown to Gerald during his illness; you made this difficult time in his life a little easier, and he loved you all.Memorials can be made to the North Monroe Baptist Church, the American Kidney Fund or the American Heart Association.Visitation will be Monday, February 18th, 2008, from 5PM until 8PM at Kilpatrick Funeral Home of West Monroe, LA.Online condolences may be emailed to www.kilpatrickfuneralhomes.com