Joanne Hayes McLaughlin, of Auburn, Alabama, passed away at Oak Park Nursing Home in Auburn, Alabama, at 1:27 p.m. on January 5, 2016 after an extended illness. She was born on September 4, 1931, in Birmingham, Alabama, to Samuel Douglas and Agnes Lynne Murray Hayes of Kinston, North Carolina. Joanne is survived by her husband of 62 years, Dr. Wayne Lee McLaughlin, and their four children, nine grandchildren, and two great grandchildren: Dr. Carol McLaughlin Dell, Harold Lynn Dell, Jr. (Caroline Elizabeth, age two), and Wayne Lee Dell. Thomas Edward McLaughlin, Dr. Matthew Wayne McLaughlin, (Thomas Charles, age one), and Margaret Page McLaughlin. Laura Lee McLaughlin Svacha, James Baird Svacha, Jr., Olivia Lee Svacha, and Alexandra Grace Svacha. Lianne McLaughlin Hand, Catherine Claire Hand, and Jonathan Russell Hand, Jr. Joanne is also survived by one sister, Merry Lynne Johnston (Brooks) of Birmingham, and her children, Clay and Alison, and by one brother, Carl Douglas Hayes (Lynn) of Birmingham, and his children, Clint, Greg, and Susan. Joanne had a unique childhood. Her father held a degree in electrical engineering from North Carolina State University and was working for Western Electric (a division of AT&T) in the early 1930s when the phone companies began to switch their systems over from live operator to the new dial system. Mr. Hayes company was charged with changing the systems over in certain southern cities, and the family moved from city to city for the three or four months that each job required. Thus Joanne attended 41 schools before she graduated from Miami Dade High in 1949. Joanne attended Birmingham-Southern College, where she earned many academic awards and honors. While at Birmingham-Southern, she lived all four of her years there with her adoring grandparents, Lillian and Carl Murray, whose home was just a few blocks from the BSU campus. Her relationship with her grandparents was one of mutual admiration. After finishing the four-year medical technology program at Birmingham-Southern, she enrolled at UAB for the required one-year residency, and that is where she met her future husband, senior dental student Wayne McLaughlin of Blue Springs, Alabama. They decided to marry a month before receiving their diplomas at the same ceremony. They then moved to Lackland Air Force Base at San Antonio, Texas, where Wayne fulfilled his two-year military commitment in the United States Air Force. One of the conditions of their marriage was that after discharge from the Air Force they would move to the lovely and serene little village of Auburn, Alabama, and there raise their family and practice their chosen professions for the rest of their lives. Joanne was an avid "antiquer." She and Wayne took many long trips, sometimes with no destination in mind, just to stop at antique shops, and they seldom passed one by if it was open. They especially loved auctions. Many times she wound up informing the owners of these shops the provenance of many of their unusual items, about which they knew little. She especially liked "Toby Jugs," English drinking mugs made in the comic likenesses of famous and infamous characters of history and literature, and over her lifetime accumulated a significant collection of them. Joanne was also a relentless genealogist. She and Wayne traveled over the southern states seeking a missing link to his paternal great grandfather, all to no avail, but she never gave up. She also compiled a book of her own genealogy for her family. Joanne and Wayne enjoyed many cruises, and on two of them, took their extended family along. They also enjoyed vacations and football trips by motor home, sometimes taking several other couples to away games. She also was an avid and excellent bridge player, and taught several bridge classes over her career. Joanne was at her best and in her element when holidays and many other special events unique to living in Auburn, such as matriculations, graduations, and home football games, brought most of the extended family back home. The family meals she prepared with the help of her children on those occasions were spectacular and eagerly anticipated. Joanne staunchly supported Waynes dental practice, and capably filled in at any position. In later years, when all the children were gone, she became full-time receptionist and office manager, and chairside assistant if needed. Joanne was a member of Auburn United Methodist Church, and although she was physically unable to attend services for the past several years, she read her bible and watched televised services every week and her faith never wavered. The family wishes to thank Dr. Royal and the superb caregivers at Oak Park Nursing Home and Hospice Advantage for making her last days as comfortable as possible. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, 901 South College Street, Auburn, Alabama, 36830. Memorial Service will be held in the Chapel at Frederick-Dean Funeral Home on Friday, January 8, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. with Reverend Julie Hare officiating. The family will receive friends in the Parlor at Frederick-Dean Funeral Home at the conclusion of the Memorial Service. The family will receive friends in the Parlor at Frederick-Dean Funeral Home at the conclusion of the Memorial Service.