Mary Jane McLaughlin (aka Manya, Aunt Mary Jane, MJ, Mrs. McLaughlin, Mary Jane Gabor) passed away peacefully on February 18, 2026, in Lansdowne, Virginia, surrounded by children and grandchildren. Born on July 9, 1939, in North Tonawanda, New York, Mary Jane was a devoted wife, loving mother, cherished aunt, grandmother and great-grandmother whose warmth and hospitality touched the lives of many.

A graduate of the Sisters of Charity Hospital School of Nursing in Buffalo, NY, she earned her diploma in nursing and became a Registered Nurse. She had moved to the Washington, DC area and was working at the National Institutes of Health when she met her soulmate Jim (Uncle Jim, Babu, James, Colonel McLaughlin) at a dance in the basement of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown. They were inseparable for the next 61 years, raising their family and forming lifelong friendships across the DC area, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Annapolis, MD, Charleston, SC, Solomons, MD, and Leesburg, VA.

Mary Jane was a vibrant hostess of gatherings in Silver Spring and at Toad Hall and in Cape St Claire in Annapolis that brought together extended family and friends whom she embraced as family, including classmates of her children, and the couples and families from the Teams of Our Lady who meant so much to her and Jim. For many years, she helped run the Annapolis Orthopedic and Sports Medicine practice, earning the respect and gratitude of both colleagues and patients alike. After her retirement and move to Charleston, SC, grand-mothering and great-aunting became Manya's full-time commitment, traveling as needed to California, Italy, Germany, Florida, Kansas, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia, taking the next generation of family crabbing in Folly Beach, SC, celebrating, praying, cooking, and laughing with them (and her glass of boxed white wine). She and Jim moved during their final years to Solomons and then to Leesburg to be closer to her daughter Jennifer's family.

She is survived by her brother Thomas Gabor, her children and their spouses, Julie McLaughlin (S. Rene Salgado), Geoffrey McLaughlin (Laurie), David McLaughlin (Julie), and Jennifer Matthews (Mark), 12 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren, as well as the nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews whom she adored.

She joins her loving husband, James Lewis McLaughlin, whose loss last year she has deeply mourned; her parents, Sophie and Andrew Gabor; her sister, Lucille Kudla; her sister-in-law, Sharon Gabor; her aunt, Phyllis Jesella; and her cousins, Diane McHale and Karen Jesella in eternal rest.

Mary Jane's faith guided her life and nourished her relationships. She was very engaged in parish life in each place she lived, most notably Saint John the Evangelist in Silver Spring, MD, Our Lady of Good Council in Folly Beach and Our Lady Star of the Sea in Solomons Island. She celebrated each moment fully, leaving behind a legacy of love, compassion, and togetherness that will forever resonate through her family. She will be profoundly missed by all who had the privilege of knowing her, but her spirit and legacy live on in the hearts of her family and friends, reminding us all to embrace life with generosity and love.

All are welcome to celebrate Mary Jane with her family at a Catholic Mass which will be offered at 10:00 AM on Monday March 23 at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church located at 101 Oak Manor Leesburg, Virginia 20176. The service will be followed by a reception at the church. She will afterwards be laid to rest with her husband at Culpeper National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, she requested that donations might be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital; the National Institutes of Health; or to The Marianist Family Retreat Center in Cape May, NJ.