Richard
Richard Vaughan
d. December 11, 2009
Richard Hamilton Vaughan, 81, passed away at home after a valiant battle against cancer, Friday, December 11, 2009. Dick was surrounded by family and close friends at the time of his death.
He is survived by his wife, Geraldine Hesse Vaughan of the home; son, Douglas Carty Vaughan (Janine), Olathe, Kansas; granddaughters, Lauren Vaughan Boan (Jeffrey), Dallas, Texas; Lindsey Vaughan, Fort Worth, Texas, and their mother Beth M. Vaughan; one grandson, Cody Gridley, Cunningham, KS and a brother Robert Oldfield Vaughan (Maggie), Pinehurst, N.C. Dick also leaves step-children, Charles McGuire (Nancy), David McGuire (Lee), and Constance Curran (Timothy), and nine step-grandchildren, Maggie, Callie, Johnny, Tory, Molly, Tommy, Adelaide, Hope, and Connor. His wife, Florence Carty Vaughan, and daughter Elizabeth Vaughan Gridley, preceded him in death.
Dick was born in Pottstown, PA, January 8th, 1928 to Jacob Oldfield Vaughan and Ruth Winter Vaughan. He graduated from Greenbrier Military Academy, Lewisburg, WV, and, after a short stint at the University of Tennessee where he played football, received his degree from the College of William and Mary. After serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, his business career took him to Kansas City with the Vendo Company in the sales and marketing division until 1970. From 1971 to 1976, he was sales and marketing director with Litton Industries in Minneapolis, MN, that same year he bought Sefco Distributing Company in Baltimore, MD. He relocated back to Kansas City along with his wife, Jerry, in the area in 1985 and, until his death Dick worked residential real estate, first with the Eugene Brown Co, then J.C. Nichols, and Reese Nichols.
Dick had many avocations, including gardening, golf, horses and cooking; he especially enjoyed preparing his granddaughters’ annual Christmas luncheon. While he excelled in all those pursuits, his greatest quality was his interest in the lives of other people. Dick not only asked great questions and listened intently to the answer, but he did so with an authenticity that few people demonstrate. He really was interested in what others had to say. His questions were probing and insightful and by the time the conversation ended, you felt an energy and satisfaction about spending quality time with someone who cared. He rarely talked about himself instead wanting to know more about others. Dick will be remembered by those who knew him as a person of integrity and grace, never more displayed than in the last two years of his life, as he continued to put others first despite his illness.
The family would especially like to thank the staff of Grace Hospice, whose care, comfort, and attention meant so much to everyone, and the Sisters, Servants of Mary, whose spiritual counsel and reassurance left an indelible impression on all of us at the end of Dick’s life on earth.
A celebration of Dick’s life will be held at Queen of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, 7023 West 71st Street, Overland Park, KS, Monday, December 28th, 2009 at 11:00am.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to Grace Hospice, 9233 Ward Parkway, Suite 201, Kansas City, MO, 64113; and the Sisters, Servants of Mary, 800 N. 18th St, Kansas City, KS, 66102.
He is survived by his wife, Geraldine Hesse Vaughan of the home; son, Douglas Carty Vaughan (Janine), Olathe, Kansas; granddaughters, Lauren Vaughan Boan (Jeffrey), Dallas, Texas; Lindsey Vaughan, Fort Worth, Texas, and their mother Beth M. Vaughan; one grandson, Cody Gridley, Cunningham, KS and a brother Robert Oldfield Vaughan (Maggie), Pinehurst, N.C. Dick also leaves step-children, Charles McGuire (Nancy), David McGuire (Lee), and Constance Curran (Timothy), and nine step-grandchildren, Maggie, Callie, Johnny, Tory, Molly, Tommy, Adelaide, Hope, and Connor. His wife, Florence Carty Vaughan, and daughter Elizabeth Vaughan Gridley, preceded him in death.
Dick was born in Pottstown, PA, January 8th, 1928 to Jacob Oldfield Vaughan and Ruth Winter Vaughan. He graduated from Greenbrier Military Academy, Lewisburg, WV, and, after a short stint at the University of Tennessee where he played football, received his degree from the College of William and Mary. After serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, his business career took him to Kansas City with the Vendo Company in the sales and marketing division until 1970. From 1971 to 1976, he was sales and marketing director with Litton Industries in Minneapolis, MN, that same year he bought Sefco Distributing Company in Baltimore, MD. He relocated back to Kansas City along with his wife, Jerry, in the area in 1985 and, until his death Dick worked residential real estate, first with the Eugene Brown Co, then J.C. Nichols, and Reese Nichols.
Dick had many avocations, including gardening, golf, horses and cooking; he especially enjoyed preparing his granddaughters’ annual Christmas luncheon. While he excelled in all those pursuits, his greatest quality was his interest in the lives of other people. Dick not only asked great questions and listened intently to the answer, but he did so with an authenticity that few people demonstrate. He really was interested in what others had to say. His questions were probing and insightful and by the time the conversation ended, you felt an energy and satisfaction about spending quality time with someone who cared. He rarely talked about himself instead wanting to know more about others. Dick will be remembered by those who knew him as a person of integrity and grace, never more displayed than in the last two years of his life, as he continued to put others first despite his illness.
The family would especially like to thank the staff of Grace Hospice, whose care, comfort, and attention meant so much to everyone, and the Sisters, Servants of Mary, whose spiritual counsel and reassurance left an indelible impression on all of us at the end of Dick’s life on earth.
A celebration of Dick’s life will be held at Queen of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, 7023 West 71st Street, Overland Park, KS, Monday, December 28th, 2009 at 11:00am.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to Grace Hospice, 9233 Ward Parkway, Suite 201, Kansas City, MO, 64113; and the Sisters, Servants of Mary, 800 N. 18th St, Kansas City, KS, 66102.
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