Thomas P. McLaughlin of Hatboro, PA, passed away peacefully at the age of 80 on August 19th, 2025.

Tom was a proud United States Coast Guard veteran, a respected maritime instructor, an active community member, and a devoted family man.

He was born in Philadelphia and was a 1962 graduate of Cardinal Dougherty High School. He enlisted in the United States Coast Guard in 1965. He served first on active duty in Cape May, NJ, and then continued his service in the reserves, where he earned the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CWO4) before his retirement in 2005 from the Atlantic Strike Team at Joint Base Maguire-Dix-Lakehurst.

In 1973, Tom began his civilian electrical career at the Department of Agriculture in Wyndmoor, PA. Then in 1978, he moved to the Naval Air Development Center (NADC) in Warminster, PA, where he worked as an Electrical Engineering Technician until operations transitioned to Fort Dix, NJ, where he continued his career until retirement in 2004.

Alongside Tom’s professional duties, he contributed his talents by serving on the Police and Fire Civil Service Commission in Upper Moreland Township for many years.

Following his retirement, Tom took on the role of maritime instructor with both the Global Maritime and Transportation School (GMATS) and the State University of New York (SUNY), where he found great joy in teaching and mentoring others.

Tom is survived by his beloved wife of 53 years, Patricia (Olsky), his daughter Megan Townsend (John), and his son Sean. He is also survived by his precious grandchildren, Aimee and Adam Townsend, and Claire and Julie McLaughlin, his sister, Eileen O’Rourke, and his sisters-in-law, Carin Kajari and Denise Olsky.

The family asks that donations be made in Tom's memory by mail to The Veterans Alliance Project  77 Waterloo Ave, Berwyn, PA 19312

Relatives and Friends may greet the family on Monday, August 25th, at Louis Swift Plunkett Funeral Home 529 N. York Rd. Hatboro, PA, from 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM, and again on Tuesday, August 26th, from 9:30 am until 10:15 am at St. David Church Easton Rd. and Summit Av. Willow Grove, PA, with a Funeral Mass immediately following at 10:30 AM. Interment will follow at St. John Neumann Cemetery, Chalfont, PA.