Janice McLaughlin

Janice Fay (Dahlen) McLaughlin passed away peacefully on May 16, 2026, in Grand Forks, ND. She was born on June 9, 1943, at Grafton, ND, the daughter of Rudolph and Olga (Hanson) Dahlen of Dahlen, ND. She attended Dahlen Public School and was baptized and confirmed at the Dahlen Lutheran Church, which she is still a member.

In 1961 and 1962, she worked at the Deaconess Hospital in Grafton as a nurse’s aide. She then attended the State School of Science at Wahpeton, ND where she graduated from the LPN program in 1963 and worked at the Deaconess Hospital until her marriage.

She married Gary McLaughlin on June 27, 1964, at Grafton, ND. They lived and farmed in Cleveland Twp until moving to the Country Estates in Grand Forks, in December 2022 where her social calendar was full, spending time with so many wonderful friends she met there.

Janice and Gary have two children, daughter, Trisha (Rick) Sather of Lewisville, TX, and son, Chad (Karla) McLaughlin of Park River, ND. She has 6 grandchildren she loved and adored, Hope (Matt) Zimmerman, Nikita (Safet) Hrustemovic, Haille McLaughlin (Tyler Smith), Megan (Willie) Meyer, Evan McLaughlin (Phoenix Spikeberg) and Gavin Sather and her 2 great-grandchildren, Cianan and Leina Hrustemovic.

She is remembered for the love and joy she shared with family and friends. Her favorite Bible verse was Isaiah 49:16 “See upon the palms of my hands, I have written your name”. She enjoyed yard and garden work in the summer and quilt and rug making in the winter. Dancing was a favorite pastime of Janice and Gary who were married for 62 years. One of her favorite places was Medora, ND which she enjoyed with her children and grandchildren almost every summer. She was a devoted mom, grandma, and farmer’s wife.

Janice is survived by her beloved husband Gary, her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Her brother Arlan (Jan) Dahlen, sister Sharon Schluchter, brothers-in-law Marlen McLaughlin and Lee (Judy) McLaughlin and sister-in-law Marilyn (Francis) Praska. She is also survived by several nieces, nephews and cousins.

She is preceded in death by her parents, parents-in-law Harold and Loretta McLaughlin, brother-in-law Keith Schluchter and sister-in-law Diane McLaughlin.

A celebration of life service will be held at Dahlen Lutheran Church in Dahlen, ND on Thursday, May 21, 2026, at 11 am. Visitation will be held 1 hour prior to the service. Honoring her generous wishes, Janice’s body was donated to the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences for research and education.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to First Care Health Center, 115 Vivian St., Park River, ND 58270 or Middle Forest River Cemetery, 206 Main St., Dahlen, ND 58224.