David William Laughlin

David Laughlin Watercolorist & Fine Artist, Craftsman, Illustrator March 2, 1928 - September 24, 2020

David W. Laughlin III was born and raised in Foster, Missouri to David William Laughlin II and Blanche Evens in March of 1928. They had a family of four children, David being the oldest. His youngest sister, Mary Hall, is the only surviving sibling. He graduated from Butler Missouri High School and received a B.S. degree in Art Education from University of Central Missouri in 1950.

David served in the U.S. Army-199 Combat Engineers from 1950 to 1952. He married his wife Doris Kathleen following his military service in 1952. Doris predeceased him in 2010. They were married in Missouri and moved to Chicago, Illinois. They had one child together, Cassandra Smith, whom David resided with until his death. David has two grandchildren, Caitlin Derouen and Maximilian Garber.

Laughlin was a professional designer, craftsman, and illustrator from 1958 to 1977 while in Chicago. He worked for over 30 years illustrating for architects, designing and building liturgical work for churches, and as a sculptor of steel, copper and other media for private and commercial clients.He moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1978 and specialized in watercolor, pen and ink and oil paintings. Laughlin enjoyed a wide range of subject matter from Arizona landscapes to images around the world. Travel took him to Peru, Italy, France, Mexico/South America and U.S. points of interest.Laughlin has lectured on many topics from watercolor technique, the history of Fredric Remington and the Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry Regiment in Arizona, to the migration of the Sandhill Cranes. He enjoyed teaching watercolor to many students of all ages and did so for over 12 years while in Tucson.

In 1990, Laughlin received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from his alma mater, University of Central Missouri. A collection of his work is on display in the Alumni Gallery.After a travel trip to Italy in 2001, he had a stroke that left him paralyzed on his right side and shortened his artistic career. He lived 10 years longer than his wife without her steadfast companionship and care. He remained in his artist studio despite his disability until he needed more care in 2018.

In lieu of flowers, the family would like you to send donations to his alma mater - University of Central Missouri. Please visit https://www.ucmfoundation.org/give/in-memory and look for "Art and Design in memory of David Laughlin" in the drop down menu of gift options.He left a legacy of talent the world has yet to discover. For more about David and his art, visit his website at http://www.davidlaughlinfineart.com/