LaVaughn Covington Scoggin passed away on September 26, 2022. A visitation will be held on Monday, October 3, 2022, beginning at 10:00 AM at Hill Crest Memorial Funeral Home, 601 Highway 80, Haughton, Louisiana 71037. Following the visitation, there will be a graveside funeral service at 11:00 AM at Hill Crest Memorial Park, 601 Highway 80, Haughton, Louisiana 71037. Officiating will be Rev. Dr. John Henson, pastor of Church for the Highlands.
LaVaughn was born on November 10 or 11, 1925, in Bossier City, Louisiana. An interesting story surrounds the date of her birth that followed her throughout her life and periodically has led to some confusion. LaVaughn grew up celebrating her birthday on November 10th. Upon applying for a passport when approaching middle age, she obtained a copy of her birth certificate, which indicated that she was born on November 11th. She questioned her mother about the date, who said the birth certificate was in error because she knew that LaVaughn was not born on a holiday. November 11th was Armistice Day (today known as Veterans Day) and was widely celebrated with much enthusiasm at the time, coming just a few years after World War I.
Growing up in Bossier City, LaVaughn attended Bossier High School where she played the French horn in the band and was crowned Bossier Band Sweetheart. After high school and business school, she became a secretary and worked at Interstate Electric in Shreveport. She met the love of her life, Joe Scoggin, at a USO dance at Barksdale AFB. They married in 1943 shortly before Joe shipped off to fight World War II.
After Joe returned from the war, they settled in Shreveport and LaVaughn became a homemaker, and later worked with her husband ad he started one of the first car rental companies in north Louisiana, Airline Car Rental, Inc., in 1950. The company subsequently became a licensee for Avis Rent A Car. LaVaughn raised her family at Highland Baptist Church, where she taught Sunday school to the 5 and 6 year-old children.
In the early 1980s LaVaughn and Joe built a home on Cypress Lake where they spent the next 30 years. During that time when LaVaughn wasn’t fishing from their pier, she was active in the Cypress Garden Club, the Palmetto Country Club, and Cypress Baptist Church in Benton, Louisiana. LaVaughn joined a ladies group learning to play golf at Palmetto where she became fast friends with golfing buddies, noted local author, Marguerite Hudson, and Barbara Cantrell. LaVaughn also enjoyed playing bridge and mahjong with groups of friends in the Benton and Bossier City areas.
In the years that ensued, LaVaughn and Joe traveled the world together but her favorite place was always Hong Kong. After international travel became too burdensome, they settled in their next home at Pierremont Place in Shreveport and continued to travel to their second home in Miramar Beach, Florida, for their next few years. Five years after Joe’s passing, LaVaughn moved to an apartment at The Glen.
LaVaughn was preceded in death by her loving husband of 69 years, Joseph Young Scoggin, Jr.; parents, James Elvert Covington and Lottie Johnson Covington; brothers, Jesse M. Covington, Delton Covington, and D Brian Covington; sisters, Estelle Covington Woods, Lucille Covington Wise, and Alma Mae Covington Wise. She is survived by a brother, James E. Covington, Jr.; sons, W. Randal Scoggin and wife, Sabra Bushnell Scoggin. Dudley Y. Scoggin and partner, Thomas C. Needham, Jr.; grandchildren, Sabra Scoggin Hicks and husband , Nathan L. Hicks, Jonathan R. Scoggin and wife, Jamie Griswold Scoggin; three great grandsons and one great granddaughter.
The family would like to express sincere appreciation to the staff of Village Health Care at The Glen for their loving care and attentive support during the past 11 months. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Church for the Highlands, 520 Olive Street, Shreveport, Louisiana 71104.
