Mary (Marilou) Helen Francis McLaughlin nee Averill, 88, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, died Saturday, May 23 after a lengthy and valiant battle with lung cancer. She was born to the late Harold and Helen Averill on May 21, 1927, in Grand Rapids. Marilou graduated from Catholic Central High School in 1945. She married John D. McLaughlin in 1950 and they lived in Grand Rapids throughout their lives. Marilou worked for the State of Michigan as a social worker and was passionate about making a difference for those in need. She was an active member of St. Andrews Cathedral and Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Parishes. She served on the funeral and adoration committees at IHM and after retiring helped guide visitors to Grand Rapids as a volunteer for the Convention Bureau. She loved to travel and saw a great deal of the United States while traveling in an RV with her husband Jack. She was proud to have visited Ireland to meet distant relatives and learn about her ancestral homeland. Marilou was a longstanding and active member of the local Irish Heritage Society. Marilou was preceded in death by her husband Jack after 45 years of marriage. She is survived by two children: Daniel (Terri Noonan) of Grand Rapids and Patrick (Molly Beedon) of Ann Arbor. She is also survived by four grandchildren: Amanda Saul, Meghan DiMuzio, Kevin and Lauren McLaughlin and two great-grandchildren: Aidan and Fiona Saul and numerous nieces and nephews. In addition, she is survived by her brother Richard (Carol) Averill, cousin Barbara Thompson and brother-in-law Harold Smith. Marilou was a remarkable, outgoing woman who could strike up a conversation with anyone and often did. She was a loving and lovely person who saw the best in everyone she met and will be sorely missed by her family and friends. She always made room at the table for unanticipated guests, saying "We can always put more water in the soup!" The family thanks her personal physician Dr. David Hoffius, and the staff of Hospice of Michigan and St. Mary's Hospital for their compassionate care. Visitations will be held Thursday, June 4 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. with a rosary said at 7 p.m. at Ofield Funeral Home, 4500 Kalamazoo Avenue SE, Kentwood, Mich. A funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, June 5, at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church with burial following at Resurrection Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to IHM's Killgoar Fund or St. Jude's Hospital or the charity of your choice.