Aug 7, 2018 3 min read

The family of a couple that died in a fire last week in Chartiers Township is trying to raise money for funeral expenses.

Glenn McLaughlin, 66, and Saundra McLaughlin, 62, succumbed to their injuries following a Friday afternoon fire at their mobile home at 335 ½ Ewing St. Both had been transported to West Penn Hospital, but Glenn died Saturday, followed by Saundra on Sunday. The couple had been living together for several years, and she had previously been married to his brother, according to a family member.

“What we’re worried about the most is not having the money to bury her or have any kind of service for her,” said Ashley Shandor, Saundra’s stepgranddaughter.

Shandor, 25, of Washington, is one of the moderators of a GoFundMe page that’s raising money for funeral costs.

“We’re really the only family Sandy had,” she said. “We’re just focusing right now on giving her a goodbye.”

Shandor’s stepfather is Saundra’s son, and Shandor’s mother, Jean McLaughlin, had been living with Glenn and Saundra, helping to take care of them, Shandor said. She said Glenn was legally blind and Sandra had suffered a stroke that left her unable to use her left arm.

“My mom hasn’t stopped crying,” Shandor said.

EMS crews were the first on the scene when the fire broke out about 1:15 p.m. Friday. They found Saundra on the ground outside the trailer. When firefighters from South Strabane and Chartiers townships arrived, they went into the burning home and pulled out Glenn. After performing CPR on him, emergency crews transported him to the hospital by ambulance. Saundra was flown by helicopter.

State police fire marshal Eric Graham said the accidental fire was caused by careless use of smoking materials combined with oxygen being in use in the home.

Shandor said her stepfather couldn’t make it to the hospital that night, so she went.

“I was the one that went to the hospital Friday night, just in case they didn’t make it through the night,” she said. “They were able to hold on long enough, and my stepdad was able to say goodbye.”

Shandor said her cat survived the fire. She said it was an outdoor cat that hid beneath the porch during the fire and was discovered days later.

Shandor’s mother and younger sister, who also lived at the residence, were not home at the time of the fire. Shandor said that she also lived there but had recently moved out. Many of her belongings were stored in the home and destroyed.

“Now we have absolutely nothing but each other,” Shandor said.

Shandor said her family has received several clothing donations from friends and the community.

“We’ve had a lot of support and people reaching out,” she said.

Her family’s GoFundMe page, titled “Funeral Costs For Sandy McLaughlin,” has raised $220 so far toward their $5,000 goal. She said the family has contacted a funeral home in Carnegie, but no arrangements have been made yet.

“We are struggling to even replace the items we all lost in the fire, let alone paying for two funerals,” Shandor said in an email.