Lawrence Laughlin

Lawrence M. “Larry” Laughlin of Concord, NH, beloved husband, father, grandfather and highly respected former Associated Press journalist, passed away September 30 at his home, surrounded by his loving family. He was 75.

A native of Taunton, MA, Larry is survived by Cheryl Laughlin (also of Taunton) his wife of 51 years, a pianist, music educator, an downer/director of The Music Workshop of Concord; sons Jason of Arlington, Matthew of Washington, IA, Travis of Concord, NH and Jonathan of Rhode Island; and Matthew’s wife, Wilhelmina Grow, and their two sons Lars (Lawrence L. Laughlin) and Auggie (Augustus), Larry and Cheryl’s grandsons. Larry was preceded in death by his parents, Louise and Lawrence, and his sister, Luanne.

After graduation from Providence College, Larry began his journalism career as a reporter for the Taunton (MA) Daily Gazette in 1971. He joined the Associated Press in the news services in 1976, transferred to Providence, RI, in 1978, and was the correspondent in charge of the AP office there from 1979-1982. Among the many stories he covered was the trial of Claus von Bülow, which he later described as the most interesting reporting assignment of his career.

In 1982, Larry was named the AP news editor for Virginia, and he and his family moved to Richmond. In late 1988, he was promoted to Chief of Bureau for Northern New England. Based in Concord, NH, Larry supervised AP news operations in the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont for more than two decades. He was responsible for the Concord bureau’s coverage of New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primaries in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008. Larry was a member of the New England AP News Executives Association and a founding director of the New England First Amendment Coalition, an organization established in partnership with Northeastern University in Boston.

Larry retired in 2009. Looking back on his decades in the news business, he took great pride in having been part of the AP’s long history of excellence, accuracy and objectivity in news coverage, and he nurtured those values in the many young journalists he mentored over the years.

Colleagues from around the AP revered him for his professionalism, unfailing calm under constant deadline pressures, wonderful writing and editing skills, kindness, and lively sense of humor.

The most important part of Larry’s life was his family. Larry also was an avid reader, former youth sports coach, church volunteer and gardener, and a lifelong fan of the Boston sports teams. He enjoyed working with wood, building a fence for the family’s yard in Concord and bookcases for his home among many other projects. He loved the family dogs, Sisko and Brody. Sisko died in 2007; Larry had to take Sisko to the veterinarian to be put to sleep, and Larry’s son Jason recalls that afterward was one of the few times he ever saw his father cry.

“After Sisko died, Dad read that when you go to Heaven, every dog you've ever loved will be there waiting for you,” Jason recalled. “It'd be nice to think that's true, particularly now.”

After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2012, Larry started taking boxing classes to help manage the symptoms, and enjoyed walking with Cheryl and Brody in their Concord neighborhood.(Written by Larry’s friend and colleague Mark Rosati)

Calling hours for Lawrence will be held on Friday October 11th, from 5pm to 7 pm at the Bennett Funeral Home 209 North Main Concord, NH 03301. A Funeral Mass will be held St. Joseph’s Cathedral, 145 Lowell St. Manchester, NH on October 12th at 10:00 am.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the MGH Lewy Body Fund. Donations may be mailed to the Massachusetts General Hospital Development Office, 125 Nashua Street, Suite 540, Boston, MA 02114, Attention: Kylie Baruffi. Donations may also be made online at https://giving.massgeneral.org/. Select "Give Now," note the gift is a tribute to Lawrence Laughlin, and, at the bottom of the donation page, designate the gift to, "The MGH Lewy body Fund in honor of Lawrence Laughlin."

The Bennett Funeral Home 209 North Main St. Concord, NH 03301 is assisting the family with arrangements.