Donald H McLaughlin Jr

He was a gifted storyteller complete with a disarming sense of humor, living up to his Irish background. With a life full of adventure, he had great material with which to entertain. He told stories of his days in the Navy, stationed in the Philippines during World War II. He always said he was lucky to have survived the war in the Pacific. He loved to tell of his work on the railroads in Alaska, but a graduate degree in geology at the University of California, Berkeley, beckoned. He roamed the wilds of Ecuador, Bolivia, New Mexico, and Colombia for Standard Oil and the USGS. Here again, he had tales of snakes, mosquitoes, mud, and wild people.

In 1969, after seventeen years in South America, when geology was undergoing a major technological change, he decided to retire to Cape Cod. On the Cape, he renewed his passion for music that originated in the jazz clubs of New York where he played drums while still in boot camp. He later played clarinet for the Roswell Symphony Orchestra and then once on the Cape joined the Cape Cod Symphony and the Chatham Band.

The Cape also fueled a new passion, sailing. Starting with a sunfish on Long Pond in Harwich, he quickly moved to an O’Day, and then to a Tartan 30, Tashtego, at Saquatucket. At the harbor he made many friends that remained steadfast for the rest of his life. Again there were stories of the Figawe in fog, running aground at Monomoy, and the many sails to Nantucket and the other islands in the Sound.

Don was rarely separated from a camera. He carried two bulging camera bags filled with lenses, film, and cameras. Beginning in Bolivia, he meticulously documented his experience in black and white. With a rare sense of composition, he captured the light in the faces of people, the angles of the buildings, and the expanse of the landscape, often recording names, exposures, and the weather. With thousands of negatives, he spent long hours in the darkroom. Once on the Cape, with the help of his wife, Martine, many of his photographs were published in three books, Bolivia, France, and Cape Cod, etc.

In 1948, Don married his first wife Sue, and they had four children. The family accompanied him on his travels through South America and New Mexico. On Cape Cod, divergent interests drew them to different places, but the family continued to gather on the Cape at Thanksgiving.

In 1986, Don married the love of his life, Martine Jore. Together they shared a passion for the arts and music. She encouraged him to share his photography with the world and helped him to produce his three books and many exhibitions. They spent many years travelling between her home in France and the Cape.

Don is survived by his wife of 30 years, Martine Jore. His children, Steve McLaughlin and wife, Jayanne, of Fajardo, Puerto Rico; Roan Katahdin and wife Mari Hall, of Worthington, MA; David McLaughlin and wife, Susan, of Rockville, MD; Brian McLaughlin and wife Merily of New York City. Two step-children, Fabrice Laget, of Paris, France, and Mokha Laget, of Santa Fe NM. 10 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. He also survived by many good friends who will miss him greatly.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Hope Hospice, 765 Attucks Lane, Hyannis, MA 02601.