Alice Vaughn

Alice Collins Vaughn passed peacefully from this life March 21, 2018. Family will receive visitors at Morgan Funeral Chapel & Crematory March 27 from 5:00 to 7:00 followed by a memorial service in the Chapel. Reverend Frank Samuels will officiate.

Alice was preceded in death by her son, Tim Vaughn, and in-laws Lee and Debra Vaughn. She is survived by her husband, Lee Vaughn, son Chris (Casey) Vaughn, parents Jack and Joyce Collins, sister Deborah (Mike) Cole, mother-in-law Pete Vaughn, sisters-in-law Deb (Willard) Groover and Pam (Tommy) Farley, Amanda Vaughn, grand-dog Ollie, and nieces Megan (Thomas) Boyd, Emma (Matthew) Heard, and Jennifer (Heath) Belyeu, nephews Will Cole, Shane (Kelli) Farley, Will Farley, Jesse Groover, great nephews Liam Johnson, Thomas Farley, Kade Farley, Jonas and Fisher Belyeu, and many special friends.

Alice was born to Jack and Joyce (Kilgore) Collins on July 12, 1962. She was an honor student, color guard member, and graduated with the Litchfield High School Class of 1980. As a member of the East Gadsden Baptist Church, she spent her early years singing in the choir.

Alice was the first intelligent girl to take an interest in Lee and it was this unique quality of hers that made Lee fall for her. Alice and Lee were married in November 1980.

Without hesitating to think, what is the first word that comes to mind when you are asked to describe Alice? BOSSY. She did it with love, but she loved to be in charge. And she was very good at being in charge because she was organized to the hilt. Alice believed if you were going to do something, do it right. That is one reason she did not like for Debbie to bring the sausage balls to family gatherings – Debbie cut corners and followed directions very loosely. Resolute and idealistic, whatever Alice did, she did to perfection. Lee, Chris, and Tim, however, were not always into perfection and following rules. If you ask Lee what Alice would have tattooed on his chest as a reminder, his honest reply would have to be, “Lee, you are supposed to be the adult!”

Teaching was the perfect job for a woman of intelligence with a take-charge attitude, so Alice enrolled in college once completing high school. A remarkably ambitious and hard working woman, she earned her Bachelors and Masters Degrees at Jacksonville State University while being a working wife and mother to her sons. Alice spent 21 years in the Etowah County School System teaching writing and science, two very diverse subjects that she taught with equal passion. When she was out and about, Alice would frequently hear “Mrs. Vaughn!” and a former student would run up to remind her that she was a special teacher and tell her just how much they had enjoyed her classes.

Alice loved gardening, reading, baking, music, hunting, fishing (except on the deep sea as she finally admitted sea sickness was the winner in that battle), travel, and spending time doing pretty much anything that included family and friends. She loved her children Chris, Casey, and Tim, and all of the puppies she raised throughout the years. She loved her parents, Jack and Joyce. She loved her sister, Debbie. More than anything, Alice loved Lee, and Lee will always love Alice.

Though our sorrow may be great now, it is only because we have been privileged to have loved someone so remarkable. A firm lover of Math, Alice would be one to tell you that there are many infinities, and any who knew her would tell you that the love they feel for her is truly a vast infinity.