Obituary of William McLaughlin

William J. McLaughlin, Ph.D. passed away peacefully on November 6, 2023 in Reston, VA at the age of 75.  

Dr. Bill, as he was lovingly referred to, is survived by his wife of 33 years, Molly L. Gregory, his daughter Jennifer Merola (David Merola) of Summit, NJ and son William W. McLaughlin (Kristen McLaughlin) of Danville, VA.  He had 4 grandchildren, Christopher Merola, Mackenzie Merola, Jayden Dagner and Riley Dagner, all of Summit, NJ.  He is also survived by his 4 siblings, Mary Tierney of Clifton, NJ, Madeleine Brod of Smithfield, ME, Eileen McLaughlin of Potomac Falls, VA, and James McLaughlin of Leonardtown, MD and 14 nieces and nephews.  He was predeceased by his daughter, Meaghan Dagner (Tyrrell Dagner) of Summit, NJ.

 Dr. Bill was born on July 31, 1948 in Brooklyn, New York to Dr. William J. McLaughlin and Madeleine Clark.

He graduated from Brooklyn Prep in 1965, Georgetown University in 1969, and later earned his PhD from Catholic University. He maintained a private practice for 40 years in Vienna, Virginia, improving the lives of everyone he came into contact with. 

Dr. Bill was a family man and an accomplished home chef who enjoyed learning new recipes.  “The Commish” ran the family March Madness pool each year, keeping everybody entertained with his informative and witty emails.  He loved being at the family beach house in Jamesport, Long Island with a crossword puzzle in front of him.  He became an avid fan of baseball and kept the scorebook for each of Billy’s games. 

A celebration of life will be scheduled at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Washington Nationals Youth Academy.