Melvin Robert Vaughn, born June 21, 1923, passed away at the age of 88 early on Monday morning, March 12, 2012. The only child of Frank and Marie Gjerde Vaughn, Mel was raised in Lynden, graduating from Lynden High School in 1941. He was hired by J.J. Herb and started work at Pacific Coast Paper Mill in January 1942, earning 35 cents an hour.
Drafted in the fall of 1942, he proposed to Mari Bodine and married her on January 30, 1943, before being shipped out to China/Burma/India. In the Medical Corps, as an X-ray technician, he helped set up hospitals and was in the first convoy over the Burma Road. After the war, he returned to a career in the paper industry, retiring from Georgia Pacific as Assistant Superintendent of the tissue division in 1982. Mel was proud of his work as a paper maker and enjoyed the camaraderie of his co-workers in his 40 years at the mill. He helped start GaPac Credit Union and was president for 30 years. But his passion was for his family and friends.
With his wife, Mari, he gave his children an enchanted childhood on Raymond Street that included animals from horses, cows, and chickens to dogs and cats, along with a garden that fed many more than the family. The best times were spent boating and camping in the San Juan Islands, skiing on Lake Whatcom, gathering together at annual family reunions, and sharing a cabin on Cain Lake with friends.
He provided a home that welcomed all and which always included a happy hour followed by a dinner, whether it was for four … or forty! Mel and Mari were members of the Elks Club, where they danced the weekends away. They were also active members of the VFW, enjoying years of organizing and cooking pancake breakfasts, monthly dinners, Friday snack nights, and Saturday night dinner/dances. Their legacy together is that relationships are the key to a wonderful life, and that means when you give of yourself, you end up receiving so much more.
Mel was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Mari, and his beloved daughter Lin. Survivors include two sons and a daughter, seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
Drafted in the fall of 1942, he proposed to Mari Bodine and married her on January 30, 1943, before being shipped out to China/Burma/India. In the Medical Corps, as an X-ray technician, he helped set up hospitals and was in the first convoy over the Burma Road. After the war, he returned to a career in the paper industry, retiring from Georgia Pacific as Assistant Superintendent of the tissue division in 1982. Mel was proud of his work as a paper maker and enjoyed the camaraderie of his co-workers in his 40 years at the mill. He helped start GaPac Credit Union and was president for 30 years. But his passion was for his family and friends.
With his wife, Mari, he gave his children an enchanted childhood on Raymond Street that included animals from horses, cows, and chickens to dogs and cats, along with a garden that fed many more than the family. The best times were spent boating and camping in the San Juan Islands, skiing on Lake Whatcom, gathering together at annual family reunions, and sharing a cabin on Cain Lake with friends.
He provided a home that welcomed all and which always included a happy hour followed by a dinner, whether it was for four … or forty! Mel and Mari were members of the Elks Club, where they danced the weekends away. They were also active members of the VFW, enjoying years of organizing and cooking pancake breakfasts, monthly dinners, Friday snack nights, and Saturday night dinner/dances. Their legacy together is that relationships are the key to a wonderful life, and that means when you give of yourself, you end up receiving so much more.
Mel was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Mari, and his beloved daughter Lin. Survivors include two sons and a daughter, seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
Melvin Robert Vaughn, born June 21, 1923, passed away at the age of 88 early on Monday morning, March 12, 2012. The only child of Frank and Marie Gjerde Vaughn, Mel was raised in Lynden, graduating from Lynden High School in 1941. He was hired by J.J. Herb and started work at Pacific Coast Paper Mill in January 1942, earning 35 cents an hour.
Drafted in the fall of 1942, he proposed to Mari Bodine and married her on January 30, 1943, before being shipped out to China/Burma/India. In the Medical Corps, as an X-ray technician, he helped set up hospitals and was in the first convoy over the Burma Road. After the war, he returned to a career in the paper industry, retiring from Georgia Pacific as Assistant Superintendent of the tissue division in 1982. Mel was proud of his work as a paper maker and enjoyed the camaraderie of his co-workers in his 40 years at the mill. He helped start GaPac Credit Union and was president for 30 years. But his passion was for his family and friends.
With his wife, Mari, he gave his children an enchanted childhood on Raymond Street that included animals from horses, cows, and chickens to dogs and cats, along with a garden that fed many more than the family. The best times were spent boating and camping in the San Juan Islands, skiing on Lake Whatcom, gathering together at annual family reunions, and sharing a cabin on Cain Lake with friends.
He provided a home that welcomed all and which always included a happy hour followed by a dinner, whether it was for four … or forty! Mel and Mari were members of the Elks Club, where they danced the weekends away. They were also active members of the VFW, enjoying years of organizing and cooking pancake breakfasts, monthly dinners, Friday snack nights, and Saturday night dinner/dances. Their legacy together is that relationships are the key to a wonderful life, and that means when you give of yourself, you end up receiving so much more.
Mel was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Mari, and his beloved daughter Lin. Survivors include two sons and a daughter, seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
Drafted in the fall of 1942, he proposed to Mari Bodine and married her on January 30, 1943, before being shipped out to China/Burma/India. In the Medical Corps, as an X-ray technician, he helped set up hospitals and was in the first convoy over the Burma Road. After the war, he returned to a career in the paper industry, retiring from Georgia Pacific as Assistant Superintendent of the tissue division in 1982. Mel was proud of his work as a paper maker and enjoyed the camaraderie of his co-workers in his 40 years at the mill. He helped start GaPac Credit Union and was president for 30 years. But his passion was for his family and friends.
With his wife, Mari, he gave his children an enchanted childhood on Raymond Street that included animals from horses, cows, and chickens to dogs and cats, along with a garden that fed many more than the family. The best times were spent boating and camping in the San Juan Islands, skiing on Lake Whatcom, gathering together at annual family reunions, and sharing a cabin on Cain Lake with friends.
He provided a home that welcomed all and which always included a happy hour followed by a dinner, whether it was for four … or forty! Mel and Mari were members of the Elks Club, where they danced the weekends away. They were also active members of the VFW, enjoying years of organizing and cooking pancake breakfasts, monthly dinners, Friday snack nights, and Saturday night dinner/dances. Their legacy together is that relationships are the key to a wonderful life, and that means when you give of yourself, you end up receiving so much more.
Mel was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Mari, and his beloved daughter Lin. Survivors include two sons and a daughter, seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
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