More detail on this person: Vaughn C.
Emerson, age 91, went home to be with his Lord
and Savior Friday afternoon August 2. There he is
joining his beloved wife of 60 years, Enid, who is
also God's child.
He was born the youngest of four children in
Quincy, Illinois and grew up in Lewistown,
Missouri. He is survived by sons, Daryl (Michele)
and Tom, grandchildren Ryan (Abby), Amanda,
Jennifer (Raphael), Jerry (Jennifer), Aubrey
(Heath), and great grandchildren, Maya, Corinne,
Brandon, Dorian, Damion, Daniel, Jacob, Emma
and MacKenzie.
Vaughn served his country during World War II in
Europe in Patton's Third Army. He saw action
during the battle for Metz as an infantryman and
mortar crew leader in the 95th Division, the "Iron
Men of Metz", capturing a crucial bridge across
the Saar River and the campaign through the Ruhr
Valley. He re-enlisted after the war, courted and
married Enid in Kansas City, and became an officer
and Army aviator of both helicopters and
fixed-wing aircraft. His assignments took him and
family to Maryland, Germany, Texas, Oklahoma,
North Carolina, Virginia, Japan, Connecticut and
finally back to St. Louis. Interrupting his years
in St. Louis was a 1967-68 tour in Viet Nam
commanding a battalion which maintained
helicopters for the 1st Air Cavalry.
While in St. Louis he took his family on
unforgettable summer trips camping in Yellowstone
and the Rocky Mountains with the family of his
oldest brother Dan. He also loved being able to
make the short trip back to Lewistown visiting and
helping his parents on long weekends.
Retiring from the Army in 1971, Vaughn built a
home in Waynesville, Missouri and began catching
many of the fish in Missouri's lakes, rivers and
streams. He also enjoyed working in his woodshop,
playing golf with friends, growing tomatoes and
pole beans, and volunteering in the service of
veterans at the Ft. Leonard Wood hospital. He
made his way to Springfield in 1996. For many
years he drove veterans to doctor appointments as
distant as Kansas City and Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Driving around the Springfield area with him, he
pointed out the homes of men he had taken to VA
clinics recalling their personal situations. One
of Enid's passions being genealogy, Vaughn would
find a way to add visits with family and longtime
friends on frequent excursions to far-flung
cemeteries and courthouses.
A visitation at 2:00 PM and memorial service at
3:00 PM will be held Saturday Sept. 10 at
Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home, 1947 E. Seminole
St., Springfield, MO. Should friends desire,
memorial contributions may be made in Vaughn's
name to the Disabled American Veteran's at
www.cst.dav.org or by mail to DAV Charitable
Service Trust, 3725 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring,
KY 41076.
Published in the News-Leader from Sept. 7 to Sept.
9, 2016
This information was last updated 09/30/2016
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