Joseph John Vaughn

JOSEPH JOHN VAUGHN

Joseph John Vaughn, 99, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, August 18, 2020, at Cranberry Park Assisted Living in St. Clair Shores.

Mr. Vaughn was born on December 1, 1920 in Detroit, Michigan, the second child of three siblings, to parents Joseph and Dorothy Vigliotti.

He grew up in Detroit, attending grade school and high school at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School and graduated from the University of Detroit as an Electrical Engineer.

While in the eighth grade at St. Charles, he met the love of his life, Frances Edna Baker, who he married in 1944 after receiving a blessing from Blessed Fr. Solanus Casey. Mr. and Mrs. Vaughn celebrated their 70th Wedding Anniversary in 2014 shortly before Frances passed away.

Joseph proudly served our country during World War II as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. He was trained in the latest radar technology at Bowdoin College and MIT. He used his training to perform countermeasures on enemy radar.

Mr. Vaughn was an entrepreneur and innovator throughout his career. While working for Federal Industries he developed the radio-controlled garage door opener. He proceeded to buy the struggling business from Federal under the name Electronic Door, which later became Vemco Products with partners Charles Englehardt and Harold Miller. Together they developed and patented the first automatic parking lot, including ticket spitter technology coupled with an automatic gate operator. Vemco sold garage door and gate operators to service the post war housing boom until it was sold to Stanley Works in 1975. Joe went on to form Operator Specialty Company (OSCO) out of Casnovia, Michigan, serving the residential and commercial gate operator market across North America. Joe was instrumental in the development of numerous safety features for both door and gate operators. He received the DODA Distinguished Service Award in 1975 and was described as “the man who had the vision to adapt the technology that created the door and gate operator industry.”

Mr. Vaughn was a resident of the Grosse Pointes from 1957 until 2016. A devout Catholic, he was an early parishioner of Our Lady Star of the Sea and later of St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church. He was an avid golfer and lifetime member of Lochmoor Club. He was also a proud member of Lost Lake Woods Club, Grosse Pointe Senior Men’s and the Cardinal Club.

Mr. and Mrs. Vaughn raised six children, all of whom attended Catholic grade school, high school and college. Joseph is preceded in death by his wife Frances and sister Jeanette Vettraino. He is survived by his brother Richard Vigliotti and his children, Kathleen Hickel (Gerard) and Jacqueline O’Boyle (Paul) of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Marybeth Grosfield (Richard) of Harrison Township, Jeffery Vaughn (Patty Quayle Vaughn) and Thomas S. Vaughn (Patti Krausmann-Vaughn) of Grosse Pointe Woods; and James Vaughn (Ellen Mayer Vaughn) of Oakwood, Ohio.

He was a beloved Pampa to 22 grandchildren: Robert Aumer (Meredith), Meridith Markovitz (Eric), Kathryn Bachey (Jeffrey), Gerard Hickel (Maureen), Lauren Ferguson (James), Jacqueline Mueller (Luke), Ashley Lee (Matthew), Deirdra Wisniewski (John), Logan Franko (Brad), Richard Grosfield (Mary Ann), Gregory Grosfield (Jaclyn), Merrill Grosfield, Joseph Vaughn II (Lauren), Anne Marie Miller (Christopher), Julia Evans (Trefor), Catherine Gillman (Eric), Cecelia (Brian) Forinash, Patrick Vaughn, Audrey Vaughn, Mary Kate Vaughn, Bridget Vaughn and Elizabeth Vaughn, as well as, 41 great-grandchildren.

A funeral mass will be celebrated at 10 am on Friday August 28, at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, 22412 Overlake Drive, St. Clair Shores, MI 48080-2498 and can be viewed virtually at www.sjascs.org under St. Joan Live. Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.ahpeters.com.

Memorial contributions may be made to the St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church or the Capuchin Mission Center, 1820 Mount Elliott Street, Detroit, Michigan 48207.