Benjamin Lynn Vaughan

Ben was an only child and became the man of the house at age eleven after the loss of his dad. As a young child, Ben grew up in Ensley in the Bush Hills neighborhood. He and his mom moved to Southside after the death of his dad. Ben attended Glen Iris Elementary School and graduated from Ramsey High School. In the senior superlatives, Ben was voted Best Dressed, and he never stopped loving dressing snazzy. In high school, Ben worked after school at Western Supermarkets where he met one of his mentors, Mr. Heard. After graduation, Ben joined the United States Navy. Ben realized, as an only child, being on the water away from his mom was hard and he enlisted in the Marine Corps where he served until 1964. Ben met Sudie in October of 1960 while they were working in the same building. They dated for a year and a half before they were married on February 3, 1962, in Calera. While still serving in the Marine Reserves, Ben followed in his late Dad’s footsteps and began his lifelong love of working with wood and building. In 1963 Ben began his 25 year career in the mortgage banking industry at Cobbs, Allen, and Hall where he worked until 1976. In 1976 Ben became a partner with Camp & Company where he worked until his retirement in 1988. After retirement, Ben returned to his love of building and started Vaughan Homes in 1988. He enjoyed building and renovating homes and doing woodwork projects. You could still find him this week out in his workshop making crosses to give to friends and family for Easter.

Ben was a longtime member of Shades Mountain Baptist Church. He was an active member of the Businessman’s Bible Class. With his class, Ben loved supporting the work done at the Big Oak Ranch. One of his favorite projects was finding bicycles for the children.

Ben loved all the new gadgets and when CB radios came out his handle was SOB, “Sweet Ol’ Ben. Those who know him know how appropriate both meanings of that abbreviation are, and he would give you that devilish smile when he told you about it. He loved building things with his hands; this included beautiful wood treasures as well as things he could get you with. A sign that Ben truly loved you was when you were the victim of one of his gags. If you met his mongoose, he must really love you.

Ben loved big. He loved his family with all his heart. He was so proud of his children and grandchildren. He loved supporting his grandchildren and their interests, going to countless baseball games, gymnastics meets, musicals, watching cheer, or teaching them how to handle and shoot a gun. He loved passing on his love of woodworking by coming up and helping with crafts at Cousin Camp each summer.

Ben loved University of Alabama sports, all of them. He loved watching football with family and friends on the weekends in the fall and kicking back in his recliner and armchair coaching the baseball, softball, and basketball teams. The next oyster party just won’t be the same not seeing him out on the porch making the perfect oyster masterpiece.

If you could say one thing about Ben, it would be that he absolutely loved helping anyone he met. You could call him any time and he would load up his red truck and head your way. (Now, he might show up at 6:00 am and wonder why you're not ready to get started!) He would take out paper and a pencil and draw out exactly how he was going to help you. The far and wide number of people he has helped was evident over the past few days by the number of texts, phone calls, and online messages from the many, many people whose lives were touched by his huge heart. Thankfully, his children and grandchildren witnessed his unselfish example and are all carrying on his legacy of helping those they meet with wide open hearts.

Ben is preceded in death by his parents and a son, Benjamin Lynn Vaughan, Jr. He is survived by his loving wife of 58 years, Sudie (Barefield) Vaughan, daughter, Rhonda Vaughan Spangler (David), son, Timothy Fleet Vaughan (Amanda); grandchildren, Austin Spangler, Gracie Vaughan, Anna Morgan Spangler, and Mary Claire Vaughan, sister-in-law, Janice Bowdon, sister and brother-in-law Mary Kay and Steve Bailey, a niece and nephew, Brian and Molly Bailey, and many beloved cousins.

There will be a family graveside service at Elmwood Cemetery on Saturday, April 11, 2020 at 2:00. Facebook Livestream of the service will be available at https://www.facebook.com/RidoutsElmwood/.

There will be a memorial gathering for extended family and friends at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations made in his honor to Shades Mountain Baptist Church or The Big Oak Ranch.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.johnsridoutselmwoodchapel.com for the VAUGHAN family.