McLaughlin, Gloria October 27, 1937 - October 25, 2019

Gloria Maxine McLaughlin left this world on October 25, 2019.  She was 81 years old.  She was born Gloria Bybee, to Clarence“C.J.” and Nellie Bybee, in Schell City, Missouri, on October 27, 1937, the 7th of 10 children.

   The Bybees owned a grocery store in Collins, Missouri, and Clarence also worked as a Baptist preacher.  Gloria began working at the family grocery store at a young age, earning 25 cents an hour, but later hired on at a lumber yard for double the pay.

After graduating from Collins High School in 1955, she moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and found work in the accounting department of Sears, Roebuck & Company.  A short while later, she moved to San Diego, California to marry Don Worthington, who also grew up in Collins.  In San Diego Gloria continued to work for Sears. Eventually Gloria and Don moved back to Missouri.

The couple had a son, Rodney, in 1962, and Gloria’s chief focus for the next several years was on raising their child.  In 1967, the family moved from Kansas City to Louisburg, Missouri.  As her son grew older, Gloria began driving a school bus.

Later, Gloria and Don would divorce.  After her son had graduated from high school, Gloria moved to Springfield, Missouri, where she found work in the purchasing department of McBee Binder Company, eventually working her way up to become manager.

While at McBee, Gloria met a packaging broker named Harold “Mac” McLaughlin, and the two were married November 10, 1985, whereupon they moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas.  She and Mac lived on Lake Hamilton for 18 years, traveling and entertaining guests, until Mac’s death in 2001.

Gloria then began working for Smart Corporation, which handled medical documents for hospitals and clinics, eventually moving up to Regional Director and being selected as Director of the Year 3 years in a row.  After a brief retirement, she returned to work for Smart as a contractor, and then eventually retired for good.  During this time, she moved back to Springfield, Missouri.

In 2015, she moved to Butterfield Residential Care Center in Bolivar, Missouri due to health issues, and lived there until shortly before her death.

Gloria will be remembered as an independent spirit, self-sufficient and hard working.  She loved gag gifts, time with friends, and was a great cook.  She could succeed at anything she set her mind to.

Gloria is survived by two sisters, Bettie Hunter and Neomia Keller, her son Rodney, her step-son Steve McLaughlin, grandson Bradley Worthington, step-grandson Jonathan McLaughlin and step-granddaughter Jennifer Ziegler, and numerous nieces and nephews.  Besides Mac, she is predeceased by both her parents, by her brothers Henry, John, and Kenneth, and her sisters Claribel Overton, Marilyn Henderson, Rena Payne, and Reva Keller.