Verna L. Vaughn, 87, of Lewiston, died Sept. 26, 2013, at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center.
She was born Jan. 3, 1926, in Canada to Leonard and Vivian Geier Madson. The family moved to Lewiston in 1927, where she went to school, graduating in 1945. She also graduated from Lewiston Business College before she was married to the love of her life, Quentin R. Vaughn, on Dec. 30, 1945, in Lewiston.
They moved many times before she started working in Pullman to help Quentin go to college, graduating in 1950. She followed him through the Korean Conflict in Tacoma and graduate school back in Pullman before finally ending up in the Los Angeles area. While in southern California she joined the ESA Sorority, which she enjoyed until recently. After moving back to Lewiston in 1966, she worked for several local businesses, ending up at Hahn Plumbing and Supply. She finally retired from there after many years as their bookkeeper.
Verna and Quentin became involved with the Masonic organization after they returned to the area. They were leaders with the Lewiston Rainbow Girls, members of long standing with Eastern Star and she was a Past Queen of Daughters of the Nile. She held many positions in both organizations. They were members of First Baptist Church in Lewiston.
One of her areas of interest was making things. She did crafts and also did crocheting and knitting. Her scarves were enjoyed up and down the West Coast and even into Japan. She was also was a fine seamstress making many of her own clothes and a lot of her daughter's clothes, even formals for both of them. One of her outfits brought her great joy - she made a beautiful tuxedo for Quentin. Two chairs in her home were reupholstered by her in classes at LCSC. She never stopped trying to learn new ways to make beautiful things.
She also enjoyed traveling to Canada, southern Idaho, Kentucky and Ohio to visit the more distant relatives of theirs. During the 1980s and '90s Mom and Dad made several trips to Europe, the British Isles and Alaska. She also visited her nephew and his wife in Hawaii while he served in the Army there.
Verna is survived by her daughter, Marlene Meyerhoff and son-in-law Richard of Lewiston; her two sisters, Wilma and Malcolm Hunt of Lewiston and Genevieve McNeely of McMinnville, Ore.; brothers and sisters-in-law Harold and LuNetta Vaughn of Lewiston, Gus Brynteson of Fox Island, Wash., Dick Vaughn of Spokane and Lucille Vaughn of Colville. She has many nieces and nephews from all four corners of the country. The many children and grandchildren of her sisters, brother and in-laws brought her great joy. She loved to put on holiday meals for the expanding family.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband Quentin R. Vaughn; a sister, Thelma Madson; a sister and brother-in-law, Viola and Ted Van Cleave; brother Everett Madson; brothers-in-law Milton Wright and Al McNeely; sister-in-law Alice Brynteson; and niece Judy McNeely.
There will be a viewing from 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Malcom's Brower-Wann Funeral Home in Lewiston. A funeral will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday followed by internment at Lewis-Clark Memorial Gardens with a meal to follow.
