Emily Taylor Vaughan

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made in Emily's name to the Make A Wish Foundation by visiting www.eastnc.wish.org or UNC Children's Hospital at www.ncchildrenspromise.org/give.

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Emily Taylor Vaughan, 19, of Youngsville, NC, went to our Father in Heaven, Saturday, November 1, 2014. She was born April 8, 1995 in Raleigh, NC to Ted and Carol Vaughan.

Three words have been commonly associated with our Emy: Strength, Inspiration, and Compassion.

Strength: For her ability to face, to tolerate, to comply with, and to ultimately survive, every medical challenge in her life since infancy.

Inspiration: For her character, in spite of all that forced her to muster that strength.

Compassion: For her natural and endless capacity for understanding and caring, and an ever-open gateway to her heart.

We all knew Em in our own way, but these threads seem universally unbroken.

But do not misunderstand. As it would seem that Em’s health defined her life, that is not wholly so. There were great spans in her life that were relatively calm in that respect. And regardless of her status, people meeting her for the first time would not imagine that that part of her life existed. Emily liked it that way. Ultimately, she had her share of joy.

For us, her family, there was of course a lifetime, an interweaving of our souls, that no writing could do justice. But we’d like to share some perspective, such as we are able.

Emily was a complex human being, if that is an apt description, and her every facet made her dear to us. She was bright, yet flighty; quirky, yet philosophical; emotional, yet intellectual; strong-willed, yet instinctively and necessarily obedient; light and hilariously funny, yet abundantly dramatic; fiercely independent, yet needful; careful, yet bold; a dreamer, yet a realist; and the purest rebel you could ever know.

Her laugh, her smile, her beauty, her general goofiness, simply melted every frost we had. It was unavoidable. And she would never leave any bitterness on the plate, always sopping it up with sweet remorsefuls.

...and there was this affinity for office supplies, particularly notebooks. Never mind.

Emily often spoke of God’s will for her in this life, yearning to understand His purpose for her, and eager to fulfill it for Him. We would not, this day or other, be presumptuous in this regard, but our humble guess is that Emy has been completing His plan since the day she came to us, and I mean all of us. Every life she encountered, she touched, and in varying ways that are known, that are yet to be discovered, and may never be revealed.

We will have you in our hearts forever, Em. ...Until we see you again.

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We want to extend our profound gratitude to Emily’s donor families; to the countless medical professionals at UNC Hospitals, Raleigh Pediatrics, and others who cared so well for our daughter, returning her to us even, over these many years; to Ted’s professional colleagues, the EAS, LLC family, for their patience and support though many trying times; and to the equally innumerable family and friends who supported us and our daughter so unfailingly. We are humbled.

Thank you God, for your gift.

And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Romans 8:30

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Emily is survived by her parents, Ted and Carol Vaughan of Youngsville, NC; sisters, Hanna Moret Vaughan, of the home, and Crystal Gail Humphries of Cincinnati, OH; niece with Crystal, Clara Annabelle; and one soon to be nephew. Emily is also survived by her grandparents, Larry and Betty Vaughan of Cincinnati, OH, whom she held dear; and by countless, loving family and friends.

Emily was preceded to Heaven by grandparents, Lamont and Donna Stanley, of Cary, NC; Uncle Steven Vaughan of Cincinnati, OH; and Aunt Cathleen and Uncle Joseph Winkie, of Durham, NC.

The family will receive guests on Monday, November 10, 2014 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at Mitchell Funeral Home, 7209 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh. A private service, and her laying to rest, will take place at a later time in Raleigh Memorial Park.