George E. Vaughan

George Edward Vaughan, age 93, passed away peacefully at his home on January 16, 2025. George was born on September 21, 1931 in Detroit, Michigan to George Camel Vaughan and Mary Louise Torpey Vaughan. George graduated from Cass Technical High School in Detroit, Michigan, where admissions were based on test scores and middle school grades, and worked as an electronic repairman in his father’s radio and hobby store. He enlisted in the United States Army in April, 1952 and qualified for Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia, where he graduated and was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant. He later graduated from The Infantry School and was assigned as an Infantry Unit Commander. George was deployed to Korea shortly after the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed and his unit was responsible for assisting with postwar rebuilding efforts. George’s time spent in a pup tent in Korea led to a lifelong dislike for camping. During his distinguished military service, George was promoted to Platoon Leader and was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, One Overseas Bar and the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation. Upon completing his active duty, George remained in the United States Army Reserve for a number of years. Upon his return to civilian life, George enrolled in college at Wayne State University. He worked three part-time jobs and excelled in his studies. Because of his academic performance, George was able to enroll in law school at The Detroit College of Law with only three years of undergraduate studies. During this time period, George met the love of his life, Margaret “Peggy” Mattes. After a whirlwind courtship, George and Peggy were married in 1957. In 1959, while George was continuing to attend night law school and work the part-time jobs, George and Peggy were blessed with the birth of their first child, Jim. With a new baby at home, George decided to take a break from law school and accepted a full-time position with Bramco, a manufacturer of radio control equipment. George also simultaneously completed his undergraduate studies and graduated from Wayne State University. George quickly moved from a sales position to sales manager. In 1961, Bramco was purchased and relocated to Piqua, Ohio. George and Peggy moved to Piqua, and George was soon promoted to General Manager of Bramco. For the next ten years, George worked his way up the corporate ladder, eventually becoming Vice President of Ledex in Vandalia, Ohio. During this time period, George and Peggy were blessed with the births of two daughters, first Diana in 1961 and finally Kathy in 1967. During those years the family moved several times from Piqua to Vandalia to Troy and finally to Centerville, Ohio. Always looking for an intellectual challenge, George decided in the early 1970s to pivot from the corporate world and changed his career path to financial advising. He used to joke that he started working as a stockbroker the day that the Dow Jones hit rock bottom, so there was nowhere to go but up. He spent many successful years with The Ohio Company before finishing his career at Paine Webber. During his later working years, George got licensed in Florida and he and Peggy become annual “snowbirds.” Eventually, George and Peggy retired to Venice, Florida, where they lived for more than twenty years. In 2023, they moved to Georgia to be closer to family. Anyone who knew George knew that other than Peggy, there was one constant in his life: radio-controlled airplanes. George grew up building stick and tissue airplanes and was involved at a young age in the burgeoning radio-controlled airplane scene in Detroit. George continued to stay active in building and flying airplanes for most of his life. One of his joys was to teach Jim to build and fly a balsa and silk-covered Sig Kadet when Jim was a high school freshman. George made many close friends over the years through his radio-control hobby, but was particularly fond of the friends he met through R/C Flyers of Venice in Venice, Florida. George was predeceased by his parents, brother Thomas Alfred Vaughan (Ann), sister Joan LaVelle Caruso and brother-in-law Bennie Caruso and his beloved wife of 66 years, Peggy. He is survived by one son, James “Jim” Edward Vaughan (Missie), of Winston-Salem, NC, two daughters, Diana Vaughan Konkle (Mitch), of Milton, GA, and Katherine “Kathy” Vaughan Schwab (Tommy), of Dacula, GA, and seven grandchildren (Stephanie Caligiuri, Mitchel Konkle, Anna Lowers, George Curren Vaughan II, Ansley Konkle, Alexa Schwab and Lydia Schwab). The family wishes to thank the staff at Towne Club Windemere in Cumming, Georgia, where George and Peggy made their final home, for their care of George. Special thanks to daughters Diana and Kathy and their families for the loving care they provided George and Peggy in their later years. Memorials can be made to R/C Flyers of Venice, Inc., 222 Padova Way, Venice, FL 34275 or the charity of one’s choosing. No formal service is scheduled at this time.

George E. Vaughan

September 21, 1931 - January 16, 2025