Obituary of Tony J McLaughlin, Sr.

Reflections Of Life For Tony McLaughlin, Sr. Today, we gather to celebrate the life of our beloved Tony Jerome McLaughlin Sr. Tony was born to the late Rev. Herman and Floria (Wright) McLaughlin on March 20, 1949, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tony attended Philadelphia public schools for elementary and middle school. When his family moved to New Jersey, he attended Williamstown High School. He loved playing basketball and was a part of the Williamstown High school basketball team. He also loved doing things with his hands. While in drafting class, he realized his love for drawing and often sketched pictures in his free time. Tony gave his life to the Lord at an early age attending Sweet Union Baptist with his family. While attending Sweet Union Baptist church, he met the love of his life Portia Green. Tony and Portia were married on August 5, 1967, and celebrated almost 57 years of marriage. From this union, 3 children were born Tony Jr., Nicole and Eddie. Tony regularly attended church with his family and was ordained as a Deacon by his father, the late Rev Herman McLaughlin. Throughout his life, he attended other churches and was most currently, a faithful member of Faith Temple Baptist Church where he loved singing in the choir. Tony was a committed and dedicated husband, father and grandfather. It gave him great joy to celebrate all of their accomplishments including many of their concerts, dance recitals and graduations. When visiting his home, he would often pull out the family photo albums full of memories, trips, celebrations and good times. He also loved to point out the many pictures of his wife, kids and grandkids located throughout his home. Tony began working in the Upper Darby school district in 1968 and was employed there until 1980. Tony was truly loved and admired by his co-workers in the school district. The children at Bywood Elementary school, where he once played the role of Santa in the Christmas play, also loved him. In 1980, he left the school district to work at Mobil Oil (Valero) Corporation in Paulsboro. Tony worked as an FCC operator until his retirement in 2009. At the oil refinery, Tony was often asked to train the new employees which he loved and excelled at due to his patience and love of people. Tony was loved by his coworkers and even after retiring, he would meet up with his former coworkers for lunch. Tony was a sweet man, whose favorite past time was singing especially Gospel music. He sang in various church choirs as well as in an acapella quartet “The Born Again Gospel Singers” with his older brother Herman. The group was known for their beautiful harmony and often traveled to churches in and out of town to perform. Tony was often asked to sing solos at church services. He could also be heard singing around the house or in the car. One of his favorite songs was “A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke. Tony was also known for having quick wit and a funny response or saying for everything. He also loved to travel with his wife, family and friends. He was blessed to see many beautiful places and islands. He resided in Williamstown for the past 45 years in a home he and his wife had built for their young family. This is just one example of the willing sacrifices made by this young couple who put their family first from the start. Tony was not afraid of hard work and always made sure his wife and family were well cared for. Tony leaves to cherish his memory: his beloved wife Portia, his children Tony (Megan), Nicole (Irving) and his youngest son Eddie who preceded him in death, his grandchildren, Kyle (Caitlin), Kayla, Alyssa, Jordan, Autumn and Amanda, his siblings Sharon (Rob), Lynetta (Larry), Terry, sisters in law Lutretia and Karen, his god daughters Pamela (Ed) and Marqueta, as well as a host of nieces, nephews, family and friends. His Lord said to him, “Well done good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:23a)