Audrey "Nina" Marlene McLaughlin, of Merrimack, NH, passed away peacefully on October 4, 2021, after a long and courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease. She was born on July 13, 1937 to Inez Isabelle Proctor and Glendon C. Morrell of Portland, Maine. She was raised in South Portland, Maine. She loved music and as a young girl played the organ at the First Methodist church. In 1955 she graduated from South Portland High School and on October 1st. of that same year she married Robert Lowell McLaughlin of Scarborough, Maine.
As a small girl Audrey spent a lot of time on her Aunt and Uncle’s farm in Freedom, Maine, where she developed a love and compassion for animals. She nursed many baby birds back to life, and not only rescued chipmunks from the pool, but once successfully gave a chipmunk CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
Audrey and Bob, known to all as Nina and Binka, moved to Derry, NH in 1962 where they raised three daughters. They quickly made many friends in the neighborhood and hosted many parties. She was very creative and active in her family member’s lives, serving as a Girl Scout leader, made floats for the town parades, and made many May baskets for the annual school fairs. She is most famous for her beautiful work with her hands. Her needlepoint pictures look like paintings, and her hand knit Christmas stockings are a treasure for hundreds of friends and family and will keep her spirit and memory alive in all of our homes.
Audrey spent many years working as a librarian for the Derry School District. She began at Grinnell Elementary and then transferred to South Range Elementary where she worked for an additional 23 years until she retired in 1997. She thoroughly relished her work and always felt fortunate to work with so many wonderful students and faculty.
After retiring, Bob and Audrey loved to spend time traveling and visiting their grandchildren. They were their grandchildren’s biggest fans and could often be found at the Pinkerton stadium cheering them on, no matter how bad the weather. They moved to Merrimack in 2014 where they made new friends at Parker Village.
Audrey was a kind and compassionate person, always thinking of others first, and always a lady. Parkinson’s was an especially cruel disease for her as it took away her ability to do the handwork that she so loved to do. She fought a brave fight as long as she could. She will join her husband, Robert Lowell McLaughlin, who led the way to Heaven on July 1st of this year. She will leave behind, three daughters, Pamela Duval (Rick), of Parrish, Florida, Susan Ledoux (Tim), of Merrimack, NH, Kathy MacGibbon (Kendall), of Fairfax Station, Va., Seven Grandchildren, Kristin Barden (Matt D’Urso), of Bedford, NH, Julie Olivier (Dave), Hooksett NH, Matt Barden (Nina) of Amherst NH, Zachary Ledoux (Jenn) of Nashua, NH, Brianna Ledoux of Merrimack NH, Daniel MacGibbon (Mary) of Roanoke, VA and Diane Banta (Billy) of Ketchum, Idaho, and 12 Great Grandchildren.
She also leaves behind her sister and best friend Gloria Twomey of South Portland, Maine and several nieces and nephews.
Calling hours will be held on Friday, November 5th from 5:00pm to 7:00pm in the Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium, 15 Birch St., Derry. Mask usage is at the discretion of the attendee. A private burial on Saturday, where she and Bob will be laid together to rest in peace at Forest Hill Cemetery in East Derry. In Lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, or to the Greater Derry Humane Society, 57 Lawrence Rd, Derry, NH 03038.