Jimmy Laughridge

Jimmy Franklin Laughridge, 90, died peacefully at home on November 24, 2025, with the love of his life by his side.
Jimmy was a composer, instrumental music teacher, and band director. Sharing the gift of music was his life’s work. The loss of “Chief” is shared by the Blue Ridge Brass, Pipes, and Drums, the Linville Falls Community Church and its choir, and the innumerable students, musical collaborators, colleagues in music education, and listeners whose lives were enriched by his untiring efforts. Jimmy appreciated beauty and lived to delight others. For years, he propagated hybrid rhododendron. He was a devoted husband and father, a brilliant cook, an accomplished trout fisherman, and an unrivaled storyteller.

Jimmy is survived by his wife of nearly 64 years, their two children, and three grandchildren.

A service to honor and celebrate Jimmy’s life will be held at the Linville Falls Community Church on Saturday, January 3, 2026, at 2pm. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the James Laughridge Music Legacy Foundation, PO Box 151, Newland, NC 28657-0151, which will award scholarship support to aspiring musicians and/or music educators, particularly those with an interest in Scottish heritage.

Austin & Barnes Funeral Home is serving the Laughridge family.

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