John Leo Laughlin

John Leo Laughlin was born at home on December 22, 1940 in Imogene, Iowa to Joseph and Mary (Head) Laughlin. He attended St. Patrick’s Academy in Imogene before moving to Omaha, Nebraska where he attended St. Peter’s grade school and St. John’s grade school. He graduated from Creighton Preparatory School in 1959. From an early age, John loved music and in his teens he played guitar and sang with a local band called the Rhythm Jesters. John married Jackie White on June 24, 1961 at St. John’s Catholic Church on the Creighton Campus in Omaha, Nebraska and they were blessed with three children: John, David and Nancy. John and Jackie have lived in Colorado, Idaho and Nebraska and during retirement, they wintered in Gulf Shores, Alabama. John was in banking his entire career, working for GAC, Omaha National Bank and Commercial Federal. John owned and raced Thoroughbred horses, enjoyed mountain camping, hiking, making calendars, feeding birds, photography, golfing, and fishing. John was a man of many hobbies and he loved to be productive each day. In his retirement, John took up making quilts that he gave to his family as gifts. John also loved playing the guitar and singing to entertain his family and friends. He loved a wide variety of music including Gospel, Bluegrass, Rock and Roll and especially Elvis. He even assembled his favorite songs into songbooks so that everyone could sing along to his beautiful music when he played guitar. John was a wonderful cook and famous among his friends and family for his homemade angel food cake. John’s life was guided by his faith in Jesus. He had a great sense of humor and was a sincerely caring man. In his life, he formed many deep, long-lasting friendships. He quietly assisted many people in need without ever drawing attention to himself. Many friends and family often sought after John for his caring, wise advice. He was a man of his word and championed integrity. John was also an avid proponent of the protection of the unborn. John was a man of many sayings, not the least of which was “If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not working fast enough.” In response to someone stating that the sun wasn’t shining he would say, “The sun is always shining, the clouds are just in the way.” John passed away on Palm Sunday, April 13, 2014 at his home in Omaha, Nebraska at the age of 73 years, 3 months and 22 days. He was preceded in death by his parents Joseph and Mary (Head) Laughlin, brother Paul and nephew John Walters. John is survived by Jackie, his wife of 53 years; son John of Boise, ID and son and daughter-in-law David and Kelly of St. Louis, MO; daughter Nancy Laughlin of Omaha, NE; 5 beautiful grandchildren, David, Sera, Tom, Jackie and Joe; sisters Barbara Walters of Omaha and Marlene (Jerry) Hahn of Des Moines, IA; many nieces, nephews and cousins.

John Leo Laughlin

December 22, 1940 - April 13, 2014