May 13, 2021
The people who miss Bryce Laughlin say he was the kind of guy who just wanted those around him to be happy.
Laughlin moved to Lake Placid in March and died last month of pneumonia after contracting COVID-19. He was 22 years old.
Laughlin is remembered as a kind-hearted person, good to his core, non-judgmental and accepting of people from all walks of life.
“He wanted people to be happy, and when he was there, you were,” said Bonnie Ingram, co-owner of a Chesapeake, Virginia, restaurant where Laughlin worked for over three years.
A new adventure
Laughlin’s father, Kevin, remarried and moved from Virginia to Iowa. His mother, Audrey Gudenkauf, was living in Kansas. For Laughlin, Lake Placid was a new adventure.
– Laughlin’s father, Kevin, remarried and moved from Virginia to Iowa. His mother, Audrey Gudenkauf, was living in Kansas. For Laughlin, Lake Placid was a new adventure. When Laughlin decided to move here, his parents worried about him but according to his mother, he was excited to show them that he could “do it on his own.” “He kept saying, ‘You know what, Mom? I have to show you that I can do it on my own, ” Gudenkauf said. “When he said he was moving to New York, I just had to let him do it. He did well. He drove up there by himself, transferred his mail and got new bank accounts.”