April 10, 1947-Aug. 14, 2013
Walter “Terry” Vaughn, 66, died in Springfield on Aug. 14, 2013.
Mr. Vaughn, known as “Terry” to most, was born on April 10, 1947 in Eugene to Arlo and Montana (Harte) Vaughn.
He grew up in the Falls Creek area and attended schools in Lowell and Pleasant Hill. He graduated from Lowell High School.
Mr. Vaughn worked for the U.S. Forest Service on a survey crew and then for Pope and Talbot in Oakridge, where he lived for a number of years.
He moved to Holley and then to the Sweet Home area and worked in a veneer plant for a time until he retired due to muscular dystrophy. He moved to a skilled nursing center in Springfield in 2010.
Mr. Vaughn was a member of the NRA, AARP and Trout Unlimited. While he was not able to enjoy hunting and fishing in his later years, he enjoyed reading hunting and fishing magazines and watching TV shows about the sports. He kept up with the Seattle sports teams and was a Beavers fan.
Mr. Vaughn married Rita Jenkins in Lowell. They had two sons, Ted and Michael, and later divorced. He then married Lynnetta Brown. They had one son, Jim, and later divorced.
While living in skilled nursing care, he was awarded a train trip to Seattle. He had never taken a train ride in his lifetime and enjoyed the opportunity to visit the sights in Seattle.
One of his first requests after moving to Springfield was to have a bicycle horn for his power chair, so the “old ladies will get out of my way.” He also delighted in sneaking up behind staff members and ringing the bell.
He had a number of hiding places at the facility, so visiting him sometimes took some doing to find him. He would also go down the street to the 7-11 or Subway on good-weather days. Recently, he took a trip to the casino in Florence with a group from the facility.
Mr. Vaughn is survived by his sons, Ted, Michael and daughter-in-law Shelly, and Jim; step-grandchildren; a brother, Bill; sister Nancy; nieces and nephews and their families; many cousins; and many friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents; an infant brother, Fredrick; and sister Frances Craft.
Graveside services were held on Aug. 19 at Mt. Vernon Cemetery in Springfield.