Supa Rupa
Rupa McLaughlin

If sparkling hazel eyes and a laugh that resonated like the crystal tones of a singing bowl could describe a person, then a boy of Irish ancestry from Philly, turned Bhakti, mala-meditating Krishna devotee, would give you a good description of our dear, departed friend, Rupa McLaughlin. A spiritual life was his perfect feast, and through that, he fed others, literally and figuratively.

Rupa could drive you crazy with his endless repetitions of mantras, or his often unsolicited enthusiastic recitations of the Bhagavad Gita. Still, it was his thing, and it served him well, and he really never pushed it on anyone. He was just a good loving man, husband, father, friend, and joyful warrior in the world. A man of great wit and humor—always making others laugh—he lived up to the charge of that very word perched right in the middle of his last name.

Rupa was ready to help anyone in need, whether he knew them or not, as was the fate of a drowning man he once pulled from a rip tide off a beach in Maui. Or in the beautiful way he nursed his wife Ellen over to the other side years ago. From a young surfer who landed on an island in the middle of the sea, Rupa McLaughlin built a remarkable life and was a much beloved man. He was called Supa Rupa for a reason.

When you near a certain age in life, there is the inevitability of close friends leaving before you. Some people tell you that they learn to take it in stride, but you never really do. So many lovely friends seem to be leaving so quickly these days, and we are always grateful when our friends and loved ones suffer less.

Rupa told us all, he was ready. And we believe him. Whether met by angels, or deities, or other fabulous departed friends, or simply the great white light, we know that Rupa made a beautiful entrance.