James Jim"" H. McLaughlin,

James ""Jim"" H. McLaughlin, Jr., 58, of Phoenix, AZ and formerly of East Hartford, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, February 24, 2016. Jim was born in Meriden on November 17, 1957, a son of the late James H. and Nancy (Mellor) McLaughlin, and had been a resident of East Hartford for many years prior to moving to Arizona several years ago. Jim was employed for over the past ten years by Voxx International where he had been the Western Regional Sales Manager. Jim enjoyed traveling, working on his automobiles, and Ford automobiles. He was an avid fan of NASCAR racing, and football at all levels. Jim was also a proud father and grandfather who loved spending time with his grandchildren and taking them to ""Monster Truck"" shows. Besides his parents, Jim was predeceased by his wife, Joy Ann (Toce) McLaughlin in 2010. Jim is survived by his son, Damian M. McLaughlin and his wife Rhonda of Cromwell; a brother, John McLaughlin and his wife JoAnna of San Jose, CA; his loving fiancée, Gail (Bassell) Moody of Enfield; a long-time friend, Jeff Hills and his wife Dawn of Scottsdale, AZ; six cherished grandchildren; one adored great-grandchild; several in-laws, uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, co-workers, and friends. Funeral service celebrating Jim's life will be Saturday (March 5, 2016) at 2 pm at the D'ESOPO-East Hartford Memorial Chapel, 30 Carter Street, East Hartford. Private burial will be held at the convenience of the family. Relatives and friends may call at the funeral home chapel on Saturday afternoon from 12 - 2 pm. For on-line expressions of sympathy to the family please visit www.desopo.com.