Obituary of Margaret Dorothy Vaughan

Margaret Dorothy Vaughan (née Smitherum) passed away peacefully on Tuesday, October 11th, 2016 at the age of 92. She was born in San Jose, California on January 16, 1924. She grew up in Willow Glen, attending Willow Glen Grammar School and Campbell High, where she began taking singing lessons at the age of 13. Margaret was a talented singer, and as a teen & young adult gave numerous recitals in the San Jose, Palo Alto & Los Gatos areas, including at Villa Montalvo. She also sang as a Christian Science soloist in many local recitals & services. Margaret graduated from Campbell High in 1942 and then continued her voice and music studies at San Jose State. In 1944, her music teacher encouraged her to try out for The Desert Song, a musical being produced by the Los Angeles Light Opera Company. Margaret and some of her fellow music students went down to LA to audition, and only Margaret was accepted into the Company. The Desert Song toured the US by train, performing in such cities as Seattle, Chicago & New York. After the tour ended, Margaret returned home to California for the summer, intending to return to New York in the fall to study with the esteemed operatic singer Karin Branzell. While back home in Willow Glen, Margaret got a summer job at the county fair, working as the assistant to the manager of the Coca Cola booth. Her manager, Clarence Vaughan, was to become her future husband, as she and Clarence fell in love that summer, and she never did return to New York to study with Ms. Branzell. Margaret continued studying music & singing after her marriage to Clarence in 1948, but after the births of her four children, she came to devote most of her time to raising her family. Margaret loved to play golf & tennis, go fishing, play blackjack and comb the beach for shells and sea glass. She also loved to write humorous prose and poetry, and was published in many magazines, including Reader's Digest, Highlights and Jack & Jill Children's Magazine. Another love of Margaret's was antiquing; she was part owner of Miss Jessie May's Antique shop on Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz. Margaret and Clarence lived many places during their lives, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Chattanooga, Denver, Aptos & Santa Cruz. They were big San Diego Chargers fans. In their later years, the two of them spent a great deal of time traveling the world. Margaret was a beautiful person, both inside and out. She was a wonderful and devoted wife, mother, grandmother and friend to those around her. Her kind, fun and generous spirit will be missed deeply by all who loved her. Margaret was preceded in death by her husband Clarence Vaughan. She is survived by her children, Tyra Vaughan, Robert Vaughan, Susan Vaughan and Bill Vaughan, and grandchildren, Sarah Jones, Samuel Bongiorno and Christian and Kimberly Vaughan. We deeply appreciate the love and support from her wonderful caregivers Erika, Rosa, and Sandra. Her Celebration of Life will be held Monday, November 28, 2016. Please contact the family for further details at [email protected]