James Ernest Laughlin, 56, of 566 Zeb Road, Union Grove, passed away peacefully at home on Friday, Jan. 30, 2009. He was born Jan. 8, 1953, in Spartanburg, S.C., and was the son of the late James Arthur and Dorothy June Laughlin. Jim was a graduate of Western Carolina University with a BS degree in nursing, and of Charlotte Memorial Hospital N.C. School of Nurse Anesthesia. He was employed at Wilkes Regional Medical Center. From 1980 until 1998 Jim was commissioned in the United States Army Reserve. He was a Lt. Col. in the Army Nurse Corps and served in the Gulf War 1990 to 1991, and Operation Restore Hope in Haiti. He was extremely active in the Single Action Shooting Society and was a member since 1998.

Jim is survived by his wife, Kathleen Poulsen Laughlin; two stepdaughters, Christine Ann Vogel and Erin Kathleen Musgrave, both of Charlotte; three loving grandchildren; his sister, Suzanne Laughlin Kruckeberg; a niece, Jennifer Kruckeberg; and a nephew, John Kruckeberg, all of Sanford.

A celebration of Jim's life will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8, at the Statesville Civic Center, 300 S. Center Street, Statesville 28677. Donations may be made for pancreatic cancer research to the Hirshberg Foundation, 2990 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 300C, Los Angeles, CA 90064; or go to www.pancreatic.org. Reavis Funeral Home of Statesville is serving the family.

Published in the Statesville Record & Landmark

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James Ernest Laughlin