JT Vaughan
John Thomas “JT” Vaughan passed away on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. He will be missed by family and friends.
Memorial services were 11a .m. Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, at White-Ranson Funeral Home, with Bro. Ben Lownsdale officiating. The family received friends from 9 a.m. until the funeral hour.
He was born Dec. 15, 1931, in Covington and was the youngest child of the late William James Vaughan and the late Elizabeth Bringle Vaughan. He had fond memories of riding his tricycle on the long sidewalks around the county jail where his dad was Sheriff and his mom helped run the kitchen. He drove a tractor at 10-years-old on the family farm while his brothers served in World War II. He played football at Covington High School. One of his first “summer jobs” outside the farm was at GB&S Clothier in Covington.
After graduation, he served in the USAF during the Korean Conflict. He then returned to Tennessee to play football at Tennessee Tech and served as Vice President of the Student Government Association. At Tech, he also met his wife-to-be. Upon graduation from Tech, he tried his hand at insurance. After several bouts with kidney stones, gout and the like, he tried to settle down and raise his family. He took an opportunity on a venture here in Union City that would become Union City Insurance Agency. Other career moves included Vaughn Electric, DUC Forklifts and G&H Tool & Die. He was a long-time member of the First Baptist Church of Union City. Other memberships included Jaycees, Rotary Club, Poplar Meadows Country Club, First Baptist Church Sr. Men’s Sunday School Class and Bennett’s Coffee Club. He retired for the last time after bypass surgery at the age of 77. He loved sports including football, NASCAR, track and field, baseball/softball, hunting, golf and fishing. He also enjoyed attending estate sales and auctions, as well as Sunday afternoons in his recliner with his TV-remote.
He is survived by his wife, Maggie; his three children, Penn (Betty Anne), Bonnie Daniel (George) and Lollie Vaughan-Robinson (James); his seven grandchildren, Ashley Vaughan (Brian Kauling), Emilie Vaughan, Evelyn Curtis (Sam), Tucker Vaughan, Emmett Daniel, Lilly Grace Robinson and Lizzie Robinson; and his two great-grandchildren, Tripp Curtis and Ellie Kauling.
Condolences may be sent to the family at the funeral home website: www.white-ranson.com.
Published in The Messenger/9.20.23