John Michael McLaughlin

Michael was born May 16, 1945, in Greensburg, to the late James Charles and Mary Elizabeth Link McLaughlin. Mike grew up on the McLaughlin family farm northeast of Greensburg, attended Greensburg schools, and received his bachelor’s degree in Business-Journalism from Indiana University Bloomington in 1967. While at IU, he was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity, Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity, and the Singing Hoosiers.

A successful freelance writer and author, he was the co-author of 12 editions of the Insider’s Guide to Charleston (with Lee Davis Perry), It Happened in South Carolina and South Carolina Curiosities (also with Lee Davis Perry), South Carolina Off the Beaten Path (with William Price Fox), Reference Checking for Everyone and The Lullaby Lost (with fraternity brother and long time friend Paul W. Barada of Rushville).

He wrote for and edited a number of publications in South Carolina, including newsletters for Ashley Hall School and the Preservation Society of Charleston. He was also a member of the Charleston Concierge Association, the Preservation Society of Charleston, the South Carolina Historical Society and Friends of Drayton Hall.

Mike was a U.S. Army Vietnam veteran and a recipient of the Bronze Star.

He is survived by his two sisters, Elizabeth Jane Moll of Greensburg, and Mary Ann Beams of Tempe, AZ.; an aunt, Mary Frances McLaughlin Brunsdon of Coppell, TX.; four nephews, a niece, and several cousins.

Friends may call at the Gilliland-Howe Funeral Home on Saturday September 15, 2012 from 10:00 until the time of service 11:00 am. Burial will follow in the South Park Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Decatur County Historical Society. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.gilliland-howe.com.