Sidna R. Mckaughan

Sidna Rae McKaughan, age 81, of Forest Hill, Maryland passed away on February 7, 2019. Born in Glade Creek, North Carolina, she was the daughter of Jerome and Retha Geneva (Higgins) Carico and the wife of Ted Franklin McKaughan. She enjoyed living life to the fullest.

Many of Mrs. McKaughan’s early years were spent in Galax, Virginia and she maintained close ties there throughout her life. As newlyweds, Sid and Ted traveled the world, living in Okinawa, Japan and Bitburg, Germany. She often wrote to her mother, including pictures of her beloved and only child Jeff, as he had his first days of school around the globe and when they got their dog, Whiskers, in Germany. While Jeff was often causing mischief around the base, Sid and Ted could be found at the bowling alley practicing for their newest league and making new friends. After returning to the states and settling in Forest Hill, Mrs. McKaughan was the Secretary for the Akehurst family businesses of Akehurst Nurseries and the current Akehurst Landscaping service for twenty-seven years, from 1973 until her retirement in 2000. Prior to her retirement, she was also a volunteer at Fallston General Hospital. After her retirement she stayed busy, beginning to volunteer at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in 2000 and continuing to do so until late 2018; making many friends and always being a comfort to others. Mrs. McKaughan maintained a busier social calendar than most, with so many vibrant and loving family members and friends. She enjoyed her bridge groups regularly and the members were among her closet friends.

Sid was an extraordinary Mother, Grandmother, Aunt, and friend. She had a wonderful sense of humor, often shocking her granddaughters when she chose what movie they were going to see. After Sid and Ted lost their only child, Jeffrey Douglas, to pancreatic cancer in 2017, Sid was the central force that held everyone together and her strength and grace during that time did not go unnoticed. She firmly believed in getting the most out of life and her light will be forever missed.

In addition to her husband of almost sixty four years, Mrs. McKaughan is survived by her granddaughters Stephanie A. McKaughan and Allyson McKaughan Forkey. She is also survived by two women who were lucky enough to call her a Mother-In-Law and whom she dearly loved, Lynn McKaughan and Carolyn B. Phillips. Sid will also be missed by numerous friends and loving family.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her son, Jeffrey D. McKaughan and brother, Charles Carico.

In honor of her son, Jeff, in lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network at pancan.org/donate or through mail at 1500 Rosencrans Ave., Suite 200, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266.