Edna "MoMo" Lee (Vaughan) West

Edna Lee “MoMo” (Vaughan) West, 93, of Claremore, Oklahoma, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Sunday, August 10, 2025, after a long and courageous battle with heart disease and multiple myeloma. A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 20, 2025, at The Chapel Jesus is Building in Honey Island, Texas, with a graveside service for cremated remains to follow at 2:30 p.m. at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Beaumont, Texas.

She is survived by her two daughters, Diane (West) Fuhrman and husband Bill, and Bonnie (West) Flowers and husband Dock Jr.; three grandchildren, Trent Freeman and wife Sheryl, Chad Freeman, and Tish (Freeman) Barnes and husband Richard E. Barnes IV; two great-grandchildren, Korey and Colten Barnes; and three step-great-grandchildren, Derek Houck and wife Jessica, Adam Houck and wife Kara, and Grant Houck.

Edna was preceded in death by her infant son, Louis Arnold West; her parents, Ameil “Emile” and Ina (Walters) Vaughan; her sisters, Frances Merie Norris, Freda Vivian Fruge, and Rosalie Welborn; her first and third husband, Louis Oscar West; her second husband, Phillip Travis Medley Jr.; and her beloved square dance partner, George.

Born on December 28, 1931, in Elton, Louisiana, Edna moved to Goose Creek, Texas, before her first birthday for her father’s work. She spent most of her life in Southeast Texas, growing up during the Great Depression in humble conditions, sometimes in a cow pasture, a tent or what she described as “looked like a chicken house.” Despite the hardships, she remained sharp and spirited, often recalling childhood adventures such as hunting for snapping turtles with her sisters along the railroad tracks, until one bite ended the fun.

At age two and a half, her family settled in a one-room house in Beaumont, Texas, where she fell in love with a tricycle in a shop window. Though her parents could not afford it, a kind shopkeeper gifted it to her, a cherished memory she held close for life.

Edna married young to Louis Oscar West and had three children. They made their home on Toledo Street in Beaumont and were married the first time for 26 years. She often joked that she and her daughters “grew up together,” and loved when people mistook them for sisters.

She became a grandmother at age 39 and embraced the title “MoMo,” a name she proudly wore and welcomed from anyone. In 1978, she married Phillip Travis Medley Jr., affectionately known as “PawPaw Phil.” Together, they created magical summers for their grandchildren in Warren, Texas, gardening, raising chickens, making pottery, watching Green Acres and enjoying MoMo’s famous chicken leg spaghetti. She always found a way to spoil them, whether with homemade candy or a trip to Dairy Queen.

In 1990, Edna remarried her first husband, Louis, though the marriage ended in divorce again. Later, she found companionship in George, her square dance partner, whose passing deeply affected her. Not marrying him, she once said, was one of her few regrets.

Edna was determined that her daughters would graduate high school, an opportunity she and her father never had. She shared stories of his ingenuity for inspiration, like the time he drove a stranger’s Model T out of the mud on a steep hill simply because he (and Edna!) believed he could.

Professionally, Edna spent over two decades as a nurse’s aide at Baptist Hospital in Beaumont, helping deliver thousands of babies. She later was the assistant manager for her daughter Diane's Sonic, worked as a short-order cook and finally as a home healthcare worker, often caring for Alzheimer’s patients younger than herself. She dreamed of being a stand-up comedian and held onto that ambition well into her eighties. Her entrepreneurial spirit led her to start many small businesses, including a florist, t-shirt shop, sewing studio, makeup sales and pottery studio.

She never stayed in one place for long, always chasing adventure while keeping family at the center of her life. She lived in Dallas with Diane an estimated seven times. With Phil, Edna moved to Tennessee, later spending time in Vidor, Texas, with her sister Rosalie and many years in Honey Island living with her daughter Bonnie.

Edna had a fierce love for life. When asked about her health, she would say: “I have shortness of breath. Just fix that and I’m good.” She did not dwell on problems. She had things to do. Still healthy in her seventies, she proudly secured a health insurance policy that later covered critical treatments, allowing her to focus on living rather than worrying about bills.

She adored her family, cooking, square dancing and staying up to date with the latest gadgets. She treasured her collection of Disney films and Tyler Perry DVDs, which were sadly lost in Hurricane Harvey. Fittingly, the last movie she watched was Steamboat Round the Bend (1935), starring Will Rogers, a film her father took her to see as a little girl.

In her 80s, she moved to Washington state to live with her grandson Trent, initially to care for his wife’s mother, Alla, during her battle with ALS. Edna finally retired and joined them on moves to Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma, having many more adventures along the way.

In her final years, she relied on a noninvasive ventilator, eventually using it 20 hours a day. She and her daughter and best friend, Bonnie, spent hours talking together, often every day, until the machine made conversation nearly impossible. Even then, Edna’s spirit remained unshaken.

Through battles with two types of cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis and broken bones, Edna never stopped fighting. Only five feet tall, she loomed larger than life, a towering figure of strength, humor, compassion and resilience, who carved her own path and always lived on her own terms.