Marjorie Laughton

(7/20/1923-11/14/2018)

Marjorie Laughton's dream was to be an artist. After graduating from Skidmore College with degrees in Psychology and Art and obtaining a degree in Occupational Therapy, she joined the Army. As an occupational therapist under the Surgeon General's Office, Marjorie worked with paraplegic soldiers at hospitals in Memphis, TN, and Rome, GA, many of whom were survivors of the Battle of the Bulge. "There wasn't a lot of medicine back then," said Marjorie. "My job was to help those boys learn to adjust to life with their injuries. It was heartbreaking, but gratifying, to help them realize what they still could do, rather than dwell on what they could no longer do."

Eventually, Marjorie was assigned to Veteran's Hospital in Bath, NY, where she established the OT department. After resigning from the Army, she became the Director of OT at Crippled Children's Guild in Buffalo, where she worked with polio patients.

Marjorie and her husband, James, settled in Niagara on the Lake, where they had had two children, David and Deborah. Shortly thereafter, they moved to Lewiston. During that time, Marjorie went back to school to earn her Masters in Education. She began teaching at Tuscarora Indian Reservation, then developed a learning disability program for the Lewiston school district, and then moved to the Drake School in North Tonawanda, where she worked well into her seventies, teaching students with learning disabilities and later as a substitute teacher.

An avid traveler, Marjorie traveled all around the world. Later, after the death of her husband, she embraced a quieter life at Asbury Pointe in Getzville, with her beloved dog, Pandy. She spent her time painting, reading, and playing bridge.

She also cherished her five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, who, hopefully, will continue her legacy of helping others.