THOMAS P. MCLAUGHLIN May 10, 1943 – Nov. 13, 2024
Thomas McLaughlin, 81, passed away peacefully in his home in the arms of his son, Patrick, on Wednesday November 13, 2024, after a battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).
We love and miss you Dad/Grandpa, you are forever in our hearts. “Grandpa was the best” said one grandchild and another added “He always supported us and was at every activity we had, even when he was very ill.” Tom was a devoted brother, father, grandfather, husband, and child of God. He is now reunited with his wife, Karen, in Jesus’s loving arms.
Tom was born on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts in a loving Catholic family. The son of Thomas and Frances McLaughlin, he grew up in Malden, MA, but spent every summer on Nantucket with his family and cousins as well as returned often to the “the Island” for family occasions.
He received his bachelor’s degree from Lowell Technological Institute. Tom married the love of his life, Karen Muccio, on July 18, 1965, and together they moved west so that Tom could pursue his PhD in Nuclear Engineering at the University of Arizona. During the summers, he was a student employee at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory.
Upon completion of his PhD, he accepted a postdoc position at Interatom in Bensberg, West Germany – leaving the United States in October 1970 with 3 young kids (ages 3 years, 15 months, and 3 months). Asked years later if it was difficult to move to a country where he didn’t speak the language with a young family, he simply replied “We were young, we didn’t know any better.” He returned to Germany in 2022 to see the Passion Play in Oberammergau, and could still converse comfortably in German. Tom returned to Los Alamos in 1972 and began a 30-year career in the criticality experiment and criticality safety groups at the Laboratory.
Tom is a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) and has been awarded a Technical Excellence Award from the Nuclear Criticality Safety Division of the ANS. He has also been recognized by the DOE for his Outstanding Service. He was the DOE’s criticality safety expert on the 3-person team sent by the US government to Japan immediately following the Tokaimura criticality accident in 1999. He initiated contacts with his Russian counterparts in the mid-90’s (after the demise of the USSR) that led to the first disclosure and eventual publication of all criticality accidents that have occurred in Russia; he later updated the publication to be inclusive of all such accidents world-wide.
Upon the untimely death of his beloved wife, Karen, in 2002, his retirement plans to spend time with Karen in the Caribbean were upended. He took up other types of traveling, particularly mountaineering and trekking.
During his 60s and 70s, he completed dozens of 10-20 day treks in the Himalayas, summited Kilimanjaro and Aconcagua (22,838 ft), and several major peaks in Ecuador (Cotopaxi, Chimborazo, Cayambe) and the USA (Mt. Adams, Mt. Baker). He kayaked in Greenland, Iceland and New Zealand, and he loved scuba diving – traveling the world enjoying the clear blue waters with incredible underwater life. His last trek, in February 2023, took him to Antarctica and strenuous hiking in Patagonia just before he turned 80. He truly lived an incredible, healthy life.
In May 2024, after his ALS symptoms were progressing and he could no longer swallow, and talking was difficult, he completed a road trip with the help of his children to see 1 grandchild graduate from university, 3 grandchildren graduate high school, and 2 grandchildren receive their sacraments of confirmation.
Tom never boasted of his accomplishments but took pride in supporting his children and grandchildren. He became a USA and high school swimming official in the 1980s and, when some of his grandkids started swimming, he returned as a “comeback” official supporting meets all over New Mexico, even if his grandchildren were not competing. His attitude was “If I can help, I will”. In addition, he volunteered at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, the Los Alamos Senior Center, and served on many boards.
Tom was a devoted Catholic and was known for his kindness, gracefulness, and generosity. He served in many ways at the church, and at the age of 79, he walked over 400 miles in a month from Lisbon, Portugal to Compostela de Santiago, Spain as a pilgrimage (one of the routes for the Camino Santiago).
Tom was preceded in death by his wife Karen, parents, brother-in-law Al Souza, sister-in-law Valerie Bidmead, nephew Sean Souza, and son-in-law Bill Hinckley. He is survived by his sister Kathleen Souza, sister-in-law Sheila Rich, brother in-law Edward Muccio (Pam), his children Debbie (McLaughlin) Hinckley, Patrick McLaughlin, Jill (McLaughlin) Tulonen, Heath McLaughlin (Stacy), Jared McLaughlin (Elena), 17 grandchildren, Godson Kevin Souza, and many other cousins, nieces and nephews.
The family wishes to extend a very special thanks to the many doctors and nurses who lovingly cared for Tom; especially Dr. Honsinger, Amy Vandling, FNP-BC, Dr. Ziomek, the Albuquerque ALS Foundation and the Mayo Clinic.
Funeral services will be celebrated in Tom’s honor on Saturday November 30, 2024, at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Los Alamos starting at 1:00pm with a Rosary and Mass of Christian Burial immediately after. A reception will follow in the Karen McLaughlin Hall. An internment will be held at a later date at Guaje Pines Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the ALS Foundation in Albuquerque, NM or a Catholic charity of your choice.