James W. Vaughan, 93, (aka Jim, Jimmy, Jas, Dad, Pop, Bo, Gorm, Pop-Pop) longtime resident of Heritage Village shuffled off this mortal coil on 26 Jan. He was much beloved and will be greatly missed.
Mr. Vaughan was born on August 22, 1922 to the late William and Jennie (Mortensen) Vaughan. He grew up in The Bronx, New York and graduated from Evander Childs High School in 1938 at the age of 15. During WWII, at the insistence of the U.S. Army, he studied engineering at Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh, PA where he developed both lifelong friendships and a devotion to Pittsburgh Steelers football. He served in the 155 Artillery in Europe until 1945 and was scheduled for deployment to the Pacific when VJ Day happily relieved him of any future military engagements.
It was through involvement with the USO that Jim met his wife Grace, a singer of local renown (he always had a weakness for swing music and girl singers.) They were married on November 5, 1949 at Our Lady of Angels Church in Bronx, N.Y.
Mr. Vaughan was a court reporter for the State of New York and ended his career in 1986 when he enthusiastically retired. He and Grace moved from their home in Katonah, NY to embrace a life of leisure in Heritage Village where Jim threw himself into retirement much as he would throw himself into a recliner. He played competitive bridge, poker, and chess, tended garden, and read books. Jim loved maps and planning trips. He and Grace travelled extensively both in the USA and Europe; visiting all 50 States, Scandinavia, Canada, Mexico, and Iceland (which Grace hated). 'Idaho', Jim declared, "Is the most beautiful place in the world. And they grow good potatoes.'