Margaret Mclaughlin

Margaret Elsa McLaughlin, ne Mize, 86 y.o. of Las Cruces, NM died of pneumonia on Thu, Dec 1, 2022, in peace with loved ones at her side. "Miggs" to her friends and family, Margaret has rejoined her husband of 45 years, Earl, who precedes her by 15 years, to be with the Lord for eternity. Margaret 's parents, Ralph, and Bess Mize, started calling her Miggs, shortly after she was born on June 9, 1936, as the first of three daughters. Born in Alaska's panhandle, on Wrangell Island, the damp air, with second-hand smoking, made breathing with asthma so difficult that her parents sent Miggs to boarding school in dry Arizona by the 4th grade. The rest of the Mize family migrated to the healthy air of New Mexico, where Miggs graduated from Gallup High. Margaret became a nurse for the rest of her life. She started with the hospital nursing program at St. Luke's Hospital in Denver, obtaining her RN, and then a BSN (nursing) from the University of New Mexico. She soon married Earl McLaughlin of Hatch, NM on Aug. 19, 1961, and they lived in Alamogordo, Albuquerque, El Paso, settling finally in Las Cruces in 1976 with their four boys in tow. She worked at Providence Memorial Hospital in El Paso and Memorial Medical Center (MMC) in Las Cruces, while completing an MS in nursing at UTEP. She even taught nurses-to-be as their instructor at NMSU for a decade. After the boys were gone, she completed her nursing career in her mid-70's, as a school nurse with Las Cruces Public Schools, and as needed at MMC. Margaret is survived by her four sons - Glenn (Janet) and their children: Emily and Cole of Albuquerque, NM; Scott (Cindy) of Las Cruces and their children (and families): Sara (Michael) Kramer of Loveland, CO and Aaron (Jennifer) of Longmont, CO; Ralph (Susan) and their children Joseph, Emily, Hannah and Katie of Glendale, AZ; and Paul (Tricia Mercer), Amelia and Thora Mercer of Las Cruces, and his children (Inez), Elisa and Andrew McLaughlin of Las Cruces, NM. Margaret's other survivors include sister Elizabeth (Jim) Brown of Albuquerque, NM. She was preceded in death by her parents Ralph and Bess Mize and her sister Dorothy (Arnie) Silver of Portland, OR. Earl and Miggs were members of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church of Las Cruces since 1976, where Earl served on the Vestry and Miggs on the Altar Guild, as well as volunteering in the church office. A service to celebrate Margaret's life will be held at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, at 518 N. Alameda, Las Cruces, on Monday December 19, 2022 at 11:00 am. Father Jonathan Hanneman is officiating, and Father Scott Ruthven is providing the sermon. Donations may be made to St. Andrew's Memorial Fund, (PO Box 266, Las Cruces, NM 88004) or charity of your choice.