Leah Ellen Vaughn

Bogart, GA - Born Leah Ellen Thompson on August 6, 1918, in Comer, GA., she was one of seven children and graduated at Carlton High School in 1936. She passed away on Monday, October 15, 2012 at the Oconee Regional Medical Center. She worked at the Georgian Hotel in Athens for a few years before moving to Detroit in 1942 when she was working at Cadillac Motors. There is where she enlisted in the military.
During WWII, Ellen served her country in the Navy. Her service began in Bronx, NY with training on November 11, 1944 and she then served at USN Personnel Separation Center in Shelton, Norfolk, VA. Her title was Captains Messenger and duties included delivering messages to department heads, going to the Bachelors Officer Quarters for fresh orange juice, and dusting the Captain's desk. Ranked Seaman First Class she was called "Tommie", short for Thompson. She was honorable discharged on May 15, 1946. Later in life, she joined started and was President of Unit #139, Cherokee Rose of the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services (WAVES). She attended meetings in Atlanta and retreats to Mobile, AL, Helen, GA, and Memphis, TN.
In 1946, Ellen attended airline school in Kansas City and then applied for a position in Reservations with Eastern Airlines. She worked during peak seasons in West Palm Beach, in Washington, D.C. one summer and was granted a transfer to Atlanta. When asked what she did, she responded "everything at first, then just reservations."
On October 3, 1959, Ellen married Ernest Vernon Vaughn in Savannah, GA and moved to Eastville. Vernon gave her an instant family with 2 boys, Jimmy and David. Between them she has 6 granddaughters and 6 great grandchildren, among all of them there are 3 sets of twins. They were married for almost 29 years, when she became a widow on April 20, 1988.
Since 1972 Ellen served in the Watkinsville Garden Club, Azalea District in many capacities including President for 6 terms over 12 years as well as the Board for 20 years. She would say, "Someone has to do it" and she did! Their theme is "Good gardening (with volunteers) achieves health, happiness, and friends" and she lived it because everything and everybody she touched, she inspired to grow!
Ellen, perhaps like most grandmothers, wrote down or as we called it 'documented' everything. Early this year, a family member mentioned a dog Ellen use to have named Big Foot Woody. None of us remembered this dog and dismissed his remark. One night while playing cards (Kings Corner is her favorite) her granddaughter asked her about it. She didn't remember the dog either and said, "he must not have lasted long". After that game, she got out of the chair and went to a drawer and started pulling out papers. She had records of all her animals, and there were plenty, even one named Big Foot Woody.
Ellen showed us how important and fun a family should be. Gatherings all the time on the farm, as our northern family called it, with people sleeping all over the house including the porch in the summers, damming up the creek to build a swimming hole for everyone and so much food! There was always plenty, but Ellen would say, "if they are still hungry when they leave, they can get something somewhere else". Over the years, folks had their specialties, but Ellen has many including green beans, corn bread, vegetable soup, and fried okra. She asked David once if he wanted some okra from her garden, he said "Yes, fried at five". There were many trips to Anderson, SC to visit her mom, siblings and their families typically starting the trip with "we won't get there if we don't go."
Ellen seemed to always have the words for any occasion saying things like, "Well, that's the way the mop flops", "if they haven't seen it before then they won't know what it is", "no news is good news", "it could be worse", but the most comforting is when she would say, "Everything is going to be all right".
Ellen endured many trying times in her life with brain surgery (which is why she had to wear hats), severe burns, hip and back surgery until her body just had enough. But her spirit will live on and on in all of us.
She is survived by her sons: Jimmy Vaughn and David Vaughn; brothers: Thomas Thompson and Sammy Thompson; sisters: Ophelia Webb and Betty Hochkins; grandchildren: Karla Varriano, Karen Wenzel, Kelli Winter, Rebecca Vaughn, Brenda Vaughn and Lisa Vaughn; great grandchildren: Louis, John and Sofia Varriano, Anna Wenzel and Audrey and Jackson Winter.
We invite you to celebrate her life with us on Friday, October 19, 2012 at 11AM at Union Christian Church. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. Friends are welcome to visit the family on Thursday from 6 until 8 at the funeral home. Ellen has left us with a variety of flowers, should friends desire, contributions may be sent to either the Building or Cemetery Fund at Union Christian Church, 1130 Union Church Road, Watkinsville, GA 30677.
Lord & Stephens WEST is in charge of arrangements.