Gwendolyn Vaughan

Born to Lee and Eula Blair, she was the youngest of five daughters including Bessie, Pauline, Lacine and Geraldine. When she was six years old, the family piled into a small truck and moved out west. They settled near Tranquillity, Ca. where they lived outside of town in a tent for almost a year. Her father, a farmer, bought a piece of land near Tranquillity and moved the family into their home which they called "The Home Place". Gwen went to Tranquillity High School where she enjoyed playing basketball and loved spending summers at Dorabelle beach on Shaver Lake.

On a visit to San Francisco at the age of 16, her red hat blew off and was chased down by a spirited young United States Navy man named Gordon "Jim" Vaughan. A short time later, Jim was shipped out to New York, but Gwen kept in touch with him by mail. They reunited in 1945 when Jim was on leave, and were promptly engaged after spending time with her family in Tranquillity. A few months later, just before Jim was shipped back to the Pacific, they were married. After the war, Jim and Gwen lived in Michigan for a short time before joining the family farming business in Tranquillity.

They started a family and Gwen set to raising their three rambunctious sons named Jimmy, Tim, and Mark. When Jim was diagnosed with tuberculosis and was sent away for more than a year, Gwen, pregnant with her fourth child, Michael, taught herself to drive so she could visit her husband in the hospital in Auberry every week.

As the kids grew up, there were many family gatherings, including a Sunday morning tradition of biscuits and gravy and extended family gatherings at Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Gwen was always involved with the kids' activities. She was a Den Mother for the Cub Scouts and was always there for the boys' many football, baseball and basketball games. She taught Sunday school and was involved with many different organizations including the Venus chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star, where she was a member for over 50 years and rose to the level of Worthy Matron. She was also a member of the Daughters of the Nile.

Long after all her kids had left the nest, Jim and Gwen moved to Fresno. Gwen loved going to Fresno State basketball and baseball games and was a season ticket holder. An avid Dodger fan, she loved raising her family to wear Dodger Blue. Family was always most important to Gwen and she was lovingly known to the family as Nan.

Gwen and Jim enjoyed 67 years of loving marriage and she cherished every one of her 50 children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.

Gwen is survived by her husband Jim Vaughan; sons, James, Timothy, Mark, Michael; sister, Geraldine Mason and numerous extended family. She was a strong, graceful, and loving woman who was full of life and love. She will be dearly missed.

A Celebration of her Life will be held at Lisle Funeral Home on Friday, August 17, 2012, at 9:00 am.

Remembrances may be sent to the Fresno Scottish Rite Childhood Language Center, 1455 L St, Fresno, Ca., 93721; or Saint Agnes Home Health and Hospice, 6729 N. Willow Ave, Suite 103, Fresno, Ca. 93710.