Garnett L. McLaughlin

Garnett Louise (Earle) McLaughlin passed away Feb. 7, 2010, at the Hospice Care Center.

She was the third daughter born to Herbert Alden and Blanche (Noble) Earle Nov. 28, 1929, in Tacoma. Garnett was named after the doctor who delivered her, Dr. Charles Garnet Trimble, who was also a family friend. Garnett, in later years, would describe herself as "semi-precious" like the garnet stone.

An extrovert by nature, her self-deprecating sense of humor made her a hit when chatting with strangers, whether dining out at a restaurant or in line at the grocery store. Those same qualities were a source of gentle embarrassment to family, as well as a source of endearment. She was known to keep a file of jokes secreted away, off-limits to her grandchildren. Naturally, this made for an almost irresistible mystery, to the point that the idea of grandma's joke file became more interesting than the jokes themselves. Garnett was also famous for her sweet tooth, and often kept a box of ice cream bars in the house - not just as a treat, but for lunch. She became a baseball fan later in life, and during the summer would often ask when "my Mariners" were on TV. She kept an eye on the ballplayers, if not the standings. Joey Cora was a favorite.

But it was the story of Princess Bright Star, the imaginative tale of life growing up on the prairie, for which Garnett was most famous. As Garnett told it, as a teenager she came across a young girl drowning in a pond and rushed to her rescue. The girl turned out to be an Indian princess, and in gratitude, her family adopted Garnett into their tribe. Taking the name Princess Bright Star, she lived for many years in their village, eventually becoming the wife of two different chiefs. But it was a handsome cowboy named John (not coincidentally the name of her husband of 60 years) who ultimately won her heart, and she left her life in the village behind to start a family with him, taking with her only the name Princess Bright Star. To her children and grandchildren, having heart the story countless times, Garnett was Princess Bright Star.

Garnett attended Tacoma schools and graduated from Lincoln High School in 1948. She married John J. McLaughlin Feb. 4, 1950. He survives her at home. Garnett and John moved their family to the Panama Canal Zone in 1959 where they lived for seven years, returning stateside in 1966 to Hermiston, Ore. She worked at Burnham's Buttonhole, a fabric store, even though she couldn't sew.

From Hermiston, they moved to Starbuck, Wash., where they lived until John retired in 1981. Chelan, Wash., became their home in retirement. They lived there until May of 2006, when they moved to Longview to be closer to their children.

In addition to John, Garnett is survived by a daughter, Jan Everman (Ron) of Rainier; a son, Brian McLaughlin of Kelso; six grandchildren, Tyler, Kyle and Mattie Roush, Katherine Everman, and Marshall and Nathan McLaughlin; a sister, Marian Brennan of Tacoma; and her nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by a sister, Evelyn Smith.

A celebration of Garnett's life will be held at a later date.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Community Home Health & Hospice or the Alzheimer's Association.

Arrangements are by Columbia Funeral Service.

Please sign the guest book at www.tdn.com/obits.


This obituary was originally published in The Daily News (Longview, WA).