David Francis McLaughlin

Upon graduating from Greenford High School in 1963, he served six years in the Army National Guard before working as a manager for the A&P and then as a frozen food stock driver for Schwann’s, delivering Tony’s and Red Barron Pizza to stores all over Northeast Ohio and making lifelong friends on his routes. He retired in 2009, after 30 years with Schwann’s, and continued to make lifelong friends as a regular patron at his local Bob Evans.

David was an enthusiastic baseball fan with an encyclopedic knowledge of stats. His favorite movies were both baseball films, The Natural and It Happens Every Spring. He was a die-hard fan of Cleveland sports and The Ohio State University. He loved listening to Jim Reeves, 50’s & 60’s rock, traditional hymns, and old-timey gospel quartets. He would also happily listen to Christmas music any time of the year.

He was a devoted father to Nicole, taking her to her first movie (Star Wars), and was her biggest fan as she followed her calling as an actor. He kept every ticket stub and theater playbill from her performances. He always encouraged her to do her own thing and nurture her own interests, even when it meant enduring hours of MTV, listening to KISS and REM in his car, and watching her “favorite actor with the funny nose” (Alan Rickman).

Uncle Dave was also a favorite among his nieces and nephews with his combination of wit, matter-of-fact delivery, and impeccable timing. He kept everybody in stitches during game nights, hayrides on the farm, and family softball games, i.e., “Thirty years ago, I would have caught that.”

Lastly, his devotion to his faith was unshakable. He preferred to avoid church politics and focus on his relationship with God. He read his Bible daily and kept a collection of books by Henri Nouwen and Phillip Yancey. It was through his love of reading that he gravitated toward the United Methodist Church when a newspaper column by the local minister, Rev. Bruce Irwin, really resonated with him. He was a longtime member of First United Methodist Church in Salem, before moving to Cleveland and joining Nicole and Jeremy at Church of the Saviour UMC in Cleveland Heights.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his honor to United Methodist Committee on Relief, City Dogs Cleveland, or The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. (Links to each of these organizations are posted below).

A funeral service for David will be held at Church of the Savior, 2537 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118 on Monday, August 14, 2023 at 1PM. VISITATION WILL BE HELD ONE HOUR PRIOR TO THE SERVICE WHERE FRIENDS AND FAMILY MAY CALL IN THE CHURCH PARLOR FROM 12-1PM. The family invites you to join them for coffee and cookies immediately following the funeral service onsite.