Joe E. Vaughn, 79, died Monday, May 25, 2009.  Joe was born at Okra, Texas, Eastland County on June 6, 1929, to Leaster and Mary Catherine Martin Vaughn.  He graduated from Carbon High School in 1946, and attended Cisco Junior College and colleges in Midland and Odessa.  He was married to Elizabeth Wright Vaughn.

Joe began his career working for Texas Electric Service Company in 1947 while living in Eastland and later in Colorado City.  In 1955, the family moved to Midland after he accepted a job as an accountant for Union Oil of California.  He retired from Unocal after 35 years of service.  He was a member of Trinity Presbyterian Church and served as the Chairman of the Board of Deacons and on the finance committee.  He was a lifetime member of the Petroleum Accountant's Society of the Permian Basin having served as President of that organization at one time.

After retirement, he and Elizabeth moved back to the Eastland area to Lake Leon and lived there for 14 years.  He became a member of the First United Methodist Church where he was on the Administrative Board and servied as Treasurer.  Joe and Elizabeth returned to Midland in 2005 and joined First Presbyterian Church where he served on various committees. Joe remained active, delivering Meals on Wheels and doing volunteer income tax returns under the AARP and VITA programs in Midland and Eastland.

He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and daughters, Rita Dewey and her husband, Jim, of Midland; Nancy Friday and husband, Craig van der Smissen, of Pearland; grandson, Brian Friday also of Pearland and sister, Lou Ella Murray of Pleasanton and her husband Clive, plus a host of nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by brothers, Garland and Wayne Vaughn, and sisters, Willmath Brown and Doris Lewis.  Joe loved his family and friends, visiting with former classmates and helping others.