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In Memory

Avanell Pugmire (McLaughlin) - Class of 1936

Idaho State Journal, 09/10/05

POCATELLO - Avanell Jean Pugmire McLaughlin, 85, peacefully passed away Wednesday, September 7, 2005, at a local care center as the result of natural causes. She was born on December 12, 1919, in Montpelier, Idaho the eldest daughter of Herbert and Grace Pugmire. She was raised in Montpelier, Idaho, and later moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where her father was a carpenter foreman on the Boulder Dam project. She returned to Montpelier, where she finished her education and graduated from high school. She worked for Mountain Bell and moved to Pocatello, Idaho, to work in their local offices. 

She married Robert H. McLaughlin on March 24, 1942, in Paris, Idaho. He preceded her in death in July of 1968. She was briefly married to Horrace Hill and later divorced.

She was member and deacon of the First Presbyterian Church, active in the Presbyterian Women's organizations and a member of the Order of the Eastern Star. Besides being wife, mother and homemaker she worked for Mountain Bell, Hill Brother's Buick and the Idaho State Public Health Department, where she retired as an accountant. After retirement she did volunteer work for the American Red Cross, the Bannock Memorial Hospital Guild and was a state officer for the American Association of Retired Persons. 

She traveled as often as possible, and enjoyed the many friends and acquaintances that she made during her working and volunteer years. She particularly enjoyed her bell collection, outdoor activities and adventures with her grandchildren and their family pets.

Avanell was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Robert, and her eldest grandson, Scot. She is survived by her son, Robert A. (Diana) McLaughlin of Pocatello, Idaho; her grandchildren, James A. McLaughlin and Heather Anne (Joe) Gunter; her great-grandchildren, Andrew and Allison Gunter of Pocatello; her stepson, Dennis Hill of Inkom, Idaho; and her sister, Ione (Willey) Wilcox of St. George, Utah.

Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, September 10, 2005, at the First Presbyterian Church of Pocatello, on the corner of Seventh Avenue and Lewis Street.