Daryl Vaughn's Memorial Page
Eulogy
I want to start by noting that although I am honored to deliver this
eulogy, it is the work and thoughts of all of his chhildren. We spent
the days before his service sharing stories and memories.
Daryl Richard Vaughn was born November 16, 1938 in Orange California.
He died November 19, 2000 in his sleep in Greenwood, Indiana after a
very nice dinner.
The one theme we've found was that he was always a teacher and a
learner. He reveled in what he called the "Aha" experience. He was a
generous, loving father and friend. He volunteered his time frequently,
spending time with his family, teaching, reading, and even painting
children's faces for Halloween parties.
He was an intellectual. He received a Mathematics degree from the
University of California and minored in Art. He was an avid reader. He
passed his love of Mathematics and programming to me, and for that I'll
be forever grateful. He was a gentle man with soft hands and always a
kind word. He was a patient man. He always found time for us and our
activities. James's favorite memory is the day he drew a detailed map
on the afternoon of his first day delivering newspapers. He gave us our
naturally straight hair. Thanks "Chief Bushy Head", although I could do
without the premature graying! He always had time for each one of us.
He helped us explore and find our talents, then supported us in those
areas with everything he had.
We enjoyed activities together including: hiking, camping, fishing,
father/son and father/daughter outings, Boy Scouts, Astronomy, panning
for gold, radio control airplanes, model railroading, computers,
Mathematics, Choir and Music, singing in the Messiah, Drama (including
the Kind and I, Wizard of Oz, God's Favorite, The Saloonkeeper's
Daughter, Midsummer Night's Dream, and many more), oil painting, art,
writing, trivia, gardening, geology, movies, and science fiction. If
the number of books he had is any indication of his knowledge and
skills, he was an expert on an awful lot!
We remember lots of great stories. We remember living in Terra, playing
with farm animals. We had a pet rabbit who mysteriously disappeared one
night. Coincidentally, we had "chicken" for dinner. We remmeber
Tamara's birth at home with a driveway full of emergency vehicles. We
remember moving to California and several hours spent in the heat of
the desert with a broken axle on our UHaul trailer. We remember all the
tickles and hugs. We remmeber ebelskevers every Christmas and Easter
morning.
Speaking of Christmas, buying presents for Dad was always easy - a twin
pack of Old Spice, an interesting tie, a box of chocolate covered
cherries, or a new book.
We remember his spirit of adventure. Often we'd take an alternatice
route, just for fun. We'd camp in unusual places found at the last
minute. Dad always took time to stop and smell the flowers. One trip to
Yellowstone is especially memorable. Dad took Tamara, James, and Cheryl
to the park through Utah. They saw Terra, where several of us were born
and raised. They saw Bison and Old Faithful. They stayed in a tiny
campground in Montana. To find it, they had to drive five miles up a
rough dirt road. Water in the campground had to be manually pumped.
Rain forced the family to sleep in the car. Later in the trip, Cheryl
used her considerable charm to get free ice skating privileges.
We were all happy he was able to achieve one of his lifelong dreams -
to travel the country without restriction. He took six months to see
the entire United States and even found time to venture into Canada and
Mexico. His dog Bunky has been his faithful companion for several years
and accompanied him on his trip. From the moment they saw each other,
they knew they belonged together.
Although we may have differing religious convictions, but I am
confident that he is in a better place and smiling down on all of us.
In short, Daryl was a simple, compassionate man with an extraordinary
love of learning. As he would always say, "If you're not making
mistakes, you're not learning fast enough."
Dad, we love you!