Doreen Lilas (Leverette) Vaughan passed away peacefully June 16, 2013, (Fathers Day) just short of her 100th birthday, which would have been in August.
She was born August 19, 1913 to Walter and Alice Leverette in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Her family decided to migrate to the USA when she was about seven years old and they settled in Ashland, Oregon for a short time, then later settled in Medford on Oakdale Street.
Doreen's father owned the movie theaters in the Rogue Valley and also the one in Yreka, California. When Doreen was a young teen she would drive the films down and back between Medford and Yreka; at the time the only way over the Siskiyou Mountains was along the river on a two-lane, windy, dangerous road and the cars in 1929 were not the safest.
She graduated from Medford High School when she was 16, then left to attend Principia College, a private liberal arts college in Elsah, Illinois, a long way from home for a 16-year-old girl. After graduating from college she came home to figure out what her next step was and went to work as one of the actors for the newly formed Shakespeare Theater in Ashland. She left the Rogue Valley to pursue her acting career in Los Angeles, Calif.
When World War II broke out she went to work for the U.S. Engineers where she met Vinson Vaughan, her future husband. After marriage to Vinson, they decided to return to the Rogue Valley to raise their family, and purchased a 150-acre farm and raised dairy cattle.
In the late 1940s mother decided to open an exclusive dress shop for women with her friend Clara Chamberlain, located in the tiny town of Eagle Point, Oregon and they called the shop Town & Country Apparel. Women from all over the valley would come and shop at the specialty store and to see her style shows.
In the 1960s Doreen closed her shop, sold the ranch, moved to Medford and decided to get her real estate license. She opened her own brokerage and sold real estate for the next 35 years. She was Realtor of the year in 1978 and served on the Board of Realtors and the Multiple Listing Service for years.
She was a world traveler and on one of her many trips she met her second husband, Reno Petersen, when she was traveling in the Holy Lands. They had some great years together before Reno's passing in 1984.
She is survived by her five children; 11 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren. Our wonderful mother was first and foremost our mother, grandmother, and friend but she was also an actress, dancer, pianist, executive secretary, traveler, flower gardener, business owner, and real estate broker who loved life and her family very much.
The family wants to thank a very special lady who loved and cared for our mother her last couple of years and was so dear to our mother; we are all very blessed to have had you in our mother's life and ours. Thank you so much to Judy Johnson, mom's caregiver.
Our mother's wishes were that there be no service, but if you want to pay your respects to her, she is at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens, Hawthorne Court Planter located off North Phoenix Rd., Medford.
She was born August 19, 1913 to Walter and Alice Leverette in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Her family decided to migrate to the USA when she was about seven years old and they settled in Ashland, Oregon for a short time, then later settled in Medford on Oakdale Street.
Doreen's father owned the movie theaters in the Rogue Valley and also the one in Yreka, California. When Doreen was a young teen she would drive the films down and back between Medford and Yreka; at the time the only way over the Siskiyou Mountains was along the river on a two-lane, windy, dangerous road and the cars in 1929 were not the safest.
She graduated from Medford High School when she was 16, then left to attend Principia College, a private liberal arts college in Elsah, Illinois, a long way from home for a 16-year-old girl. After graduating from college she came home to figure out what her next step was and went to work as one of the actors for the newly formed Shakespeare Theater in Ashland. She left the Rogue Valley to pursue her acting career in Los Angeles, Calif.
When World War II broke out she went to work for the U.S. Engineers where she met Vinson Vaughan, her future husband. After marriage to Vinson, they decided to return to the Rogue Valley to raise their family, and purchased a 150-acre farm and raised dairy cattle.
In the late 1940s mother decided to open an exclusive dress shop for women with her friend Clara Chamberlain, located in the tiny town of Eagle Point, Oregon and they called the shop Town & Country Apparel. Women from all over the valley would come and shop at the specialty store and to see her style shows.
In the 1960s Doreen closed her shop, sold the ranch, moved to Medford and decided to get her real estate license. She opened her own brokerage and sold real estate for the next 35 years. She was Realtor of the year in 1978 and served on the Board of Realtors and the Multiple Listing Service for years.
She was a world traveler and on one of her many trips she met her second husband, Reno Petersen, when she was traveling in the Holy Lands. They had some great years together before Reno's passing in 1984.
She is survived by her five children; 11 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren. Our wonderful mother was first and foremost our mother, grandmother, and friend but she was also an actress, dancer, pianist, executive secretary, traveler, flower gardener, business owner, and real estate broker who loved life and her family very much.
The family wants to thank a very special lady who loved and cared for our mother her last couple of years and was so dear to our mother; we are all very blessed to have had you in our mother's life and ours. Thank you so much to Judy Johnson, mom's caregiver.
Our mother's wishes were that there be no service, but if you want to pay your respects to her, she is at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens, Hawthorne Court Planter located off North Phoenix Rd., Medford.
Doreen Lilas (Leverette) Vaughan passed away peacefully June 16, 2013, (Fathers Day) just short of her 100th birthday, which would have been in August.
She was born August 19, 1913 to Walter and Alice Leverette in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Her family decided to migrate to the USA when she was about seven years old and they settled in Ashland, Oregon for a short time, then later settled in Medford on Oakdale Street.
Doreen's father owned the movie theaters in the Rogue Valley and also the one in Yreka, California. When Doreen was a young teen she would drive the films down and back between Medford and Yreka; at the time the only way over the Siskiyou Mountains was along the river on a two-lane, windy, dangerous road and the cars in 1929 were not the safest.
She graduated from Medford High School when she was 16, then left to attend Principia College, a private liberal arts college in Elsah, Illinois, a long way from home for a 16-year-old girl. After graduating from college she came home to figure out what her next step was and went to work as one of the actors for the newly formed Shakespeare Theater in Ashland. She left the Rogue Valley to pursue her acting career in Los Angeles, Calif.
When World War II broke out she went to work for the U.S. Engineers where she met Vinson Vaughan, her future husband. After marriage to Vinson, they decided to return to the Rogue Valley to raise their family, and purchased a 150-acre farm and raised dairy cattle.
In the late 1940s mother decided to open an exclusive dress shop for women with her friend Clara Chamberlain, located in the tiny town of Eagle Point, Oregon and they called the shop Town & Country Apparel. Women from all over the valley would come and shop at the specialty store and to see her style shows.
In the 1960s Doreen closed her shop, sold the ranch, moved to Medford and decided to get her real estate license. She opened her own brokerage and sold real estate for the next 35 years. She was Realtor of the year in 1978 and served on the Board of Realtors and the Multiple Listing Service for years.
She was a world traveler and on one of her many trips she met her second husband, Reno Petersen, when she was traveling in the Holy Lands. They had some great years together before Reno's passing in 1984.
She is survived by her five children; 11 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren. Our wonderful mother was first and foremost our mother, grandmother, and friend but she was also an actress, dancer, pianist, executive secretary, traveler, flower gardener, business owner, and real estate broker who loved life and her family very much.
The family wants to thank a very special lady who loved and cared for our mother her last couple of years and was so dear to our mother; we are all very blessed to have had you in our mother's life and ours. Thank you so much to Judy Johnson, mom's caregiver.
Our mother's wishes were that there be no service, but if you want to pay your respects to her, she is at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens, Hawthorne Court Planter located off North Phoenix Rd., Medford.
She was born August 19, 1913 to Walter and Alice Leverette in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Her family decided to migrate to the USA when she was about seven years old and they settled in Ashland, Oregon for a short time, then later settled in Medford on Oakdale Street.
Doreen's father owned the movie theaters in the Rogue Valley and also the one in Yreka, California. When Doreen was a young teen she would drive the films down and back between Medford and Yreka; at the time the only way over the Siskiyou Mountains was along the river on a two-lane, windy, dangerous road and the cars in 1929 were not the safest.
She graduated from Medford High School when she was 16, then left to attend Principia College, a private liberal arts college in Elsah, Illinois, a long way from home for a 16-year-old girl. After graduating from college she came home to figure out what her next step was and went to work as one of the actors for the newly formed Shakespeare Theater in Ashland. She left the Rogue Valley to pursue her acting career in Los Angeles, Calif.
When World War II broke out she went to work for the U.S. Engineers where she met Vinson Vaughan, her future husband. After marriage to Vinson, they decided to return to the Rogue Valley to raise their family, and purchased a 150-acre farm and raised dairy cattle.
In the late 1940s mother decided to open an exclusive dress shop for women with her friend Clara Chamberlain, located in the tiny town of Eagle Point, Oregon and they called the shop Town & Country Apparel. Women from all over the valley would come and shop at the specialty store and to see her style shows.
In the 1960s Doreen closed her shop, sold the ranch, moved to Medford and decided to get her real estate license. She opened her own brokerage and sold real estate for the next 35 years. She was Realtor of the year in 1978 and served on the Board of Realtors and the Multiple Listing Service for years.
She was a world traveler and on one of her many trips she met her second husband, Reno Petersen, when she was traveling in the Holy Lands. They had some great years together before Reno's passing in 1984.
She is survived by her five children; 11 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren. Our wonderful mother was first and foremost our mother, grandmother, and friend but she was also an actress, dancer, pianist, executive secretary, traveler, flower gardener, business owner, and real estate broker who loved life and her family very much.
The family wants to thank a very special lady who loved and cared for our mother her last couple of years and was so dear to our mother; we are all very blessed to have had you in our mother's life and ours. Thank you so much to Judy Johnson, mom's caregiver.
Our mother's wishes were that there be no service, but if you want to pay your respects to her, she is at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens, Hawthorne Court Planter located off North Phoenix Rd., Medford.
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