John C. “Jack” Vaughn passed away April 19th in Arizona, in the arms of his loving wife, from complications of a fall due to his Parkinson’s Disease, which he battled since 2009. Jack was born in Butte, Montana on September 6th, 1935 to Charles Vaughn and Margarite (Lohman) Davies. He was born on the Old Anaconda Rd and was proud to grow up in Walkerville, Mt with his sister, Sharon Vaughn Lester (John Lester). He loved to reminisce about special times with his relatives, including the McLean family and time spent at his Uncle Jack’s ranch, in Brown’s Gulch.
Jack proudly served in the Navy from 1953 to 1961. He attended the School of Mines in Butte, graduated Montana State University in 1962 and furthered his education with a master’s in criminology. He also attended National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada. He worked multiple positions for the State of Montana, retiring in 1990. After retiring, he continued his working endeavor’s as a private investigator, managing a casino, marshalling at Bill Roberts Golf course, amongst many other ventures.
Jack married the love of his life and soulmate, Sherryl, and they shared the next 42 years of his life living, laughing, and loving every moment together. Amongst these years you could find them on an adventure with their dogs, Klooso and Cagney, camping with friends, traveling the state watching Jack play sports, and going on trips in their motorhome. Sherryl adored Jack and lived her life for him. She was so proud to be called his “Duckette”. If it could be done, they did it together. He loved showing Sherryl and all the family his beautiful state of Montana, being the perfect tour guide, for anyone along for the ride.
Jack was a family man. He cherished his time with his daughter, Roxi, who he was incredibly proud of and looked forward to every memory they made together, especially cheering each other up, if having a “blue day”. Jack loved that he was able to make memories with his grandchildren, Eric and Ashley, while they lived in Helena and valued seeing them blossom into their adult lives, with beautiful families of their own.
Jack was a wonderful stepfather to Kim and Tom, always being a part of their lives. He was always on the lookout for another car for Kim and taught her everything she would need to know about tools. Jack was always there for Tom, teaching him to play pool, sharing time spent playing softball and even introducing him to his first motorcycles. Jack prided himself in being a father figure to his granddaughter, Tiffany. He adored anything that involved her and her children, David & Keaton Pouliot. Especially enjoying birthday parties, barbeques on the patio, watching his great-grandsons play football and wrestle for the Capital High Bruins and watching their life unfold. One of his greatest joys was being able to introduce them to the game of golf.
When it came to Jack’s athletic skills, he excelled and became a student in each sport he participated in, becoming the best at everything he did. Jack played softball for over 20 years traveling the state with his lifelong friends and teammates, collecting an abundance of trophy’s and titles. A great memory was ending his softball career with his team winning the State Championship, at 55 years old. He bowled three 300 games and scored three hole-in-ones. Jack was a top ranked pool player, competing in Las Vegas several times. You could always count on his closest friends Don Bentson and Corky Hull to be enjoying these adventures with him along the way. Up until the last 5 years, Jack continued to routinely shoot pool, bowl, and golf. He truly was one of the most gifted men in Montana.
In his later years, Jack enjoyed many “happy hours” with friends at the VFW in East Helena. As well as their winter months, spent in Yuma, AZ, and golfing with his buddy Floyd Hoff. Jack will forever be remembered by his sense of humor, his coaching abilities, his kind and caring ways, and his love for all animals. He was an honorable friend, making friendships that lasted his lifetime. His legacy will never be forgotten, let us all remember him through the times we shared together.
May he eternally feel “like a doe in the park”.
Jack was preceded in death by his mother, Margarite (Lohman) Davies; his father, Charles Vaughn; and his sister Sharon Vaughn Lester (John Lester). He is survived by his wife, Sherryl Vaughn; daughter’s Roxi Vaughn (Kevin Church), Kim Pouliot (Annette); son Tom Pouliot; his grandchildren Eric Isola (Carrie), Ashley Palomera (Carlos), Tiffany Pouliot-Harris (Justin), and Samantha Lacey; 14 great grandchildren; sister-in-law’s Carmen Woods and Jackie Thompson (Glen); and niece Terry Rharbi and nephew Steve Lester.
A memorial Service is scheduled for 11:00 a.m., Friday June 3, 2022 at Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home, 3750 N. Montana Ave. Helena, Mt, followed by a Burial with Military Honors at the Montana State Veterans Cemetery, Fort Harrison. A Celebration of Jack’s Life will be held at the VFW Post #10010 in East Helena after the burial.
In honor of Jack, donations can be made to the Humane Society of Imperial County, 1575 Pico Ave, El Centro, CA 92243. Please visit www.aswfuneralhome.com to offer a condolence to the family or to share a memory of Jack.
