Jerry Lea Vaughan

Jerry Lea was born on Independence Day July 4, 1939 in Hennessy Oklahoma. She was the daughter of Buena and Elbert Bowles of Ames Oklahoma. One of 5 children, Jerry grew up in the small town of Ames and attended elementary school there as well high school where she played basketball, participated in 4H, and graduated valedictorian of her class. After high school she worked in Oklahoma City where she met and soon thereafter married Melvin Vaughan of Bogata Texas. After a short stay in Oklahoma City, they moved to Dallas and started their family, having a son Kirk in 1965, and then Greg in 1971.

Jerry and Mel lived in the same house on Drummond Drive for the remainder of their lives, raising their family and opening its doors to so many people over the years. Countless family members and friends have called this house a home. She loved the sound of voices in that house, hosting sleepovers for her beloved grandchildren and many large family gatherings for Christmas, Thanksgiving, and family parties. Jerry loved to travel with her brother and sisters, making trips to Switzerland and Europe, Sweden, and Alaska with her siblings. One of her favorite events was the annual Bowles/Belding family reunion where she reunited with all of the family and shared stories, and there were many, and created new ones. She loved her sons, but it was her grandchildren that she cherished the most. Any conversation she had would usually start out with what amazing things they were all doing, and what beautiful children they were. Jerry was one of the most generous people you will ever meet. There were countless acts of selflessness throughout the years including going back into the workforce to put her sons through school, opening her home to friends and family who needed a place to stay when in town, or driving her niece’s children from Lewisville to Oklahoma so they could have some much needed visitation time with their mother. This was followed up by driving back on Sunday to pick them up. For years she did this and was happy to do it. Because it was family.

Jerry was a big sports fan. This passion started in high school playing basketball and continued on when she played for a local women’s soccer team aptly named the “Soccer Widows”. She would play H O R S E with her boys in the driveway, was always willing to play a game of catch, and never missed any of their soccer and baseball games. That commitment continued with her grandkids, making all of their games whether it was soccer, youth baseball, or football. If one of the local professional sports teams was playing, you could bet it would be on her TV.

In her final days, she would talk about how she couldn’t believe that she was 84, and that in her mind she was still a 15 year old little girl. That’s how she lived her life, whether it was playing touch football with her grandsons in the front yard at 70 years of age, staying up until 2am playing cards at Greg’s house, and then driving herself home, or just staying active in her swim aerobics and exercise classes at the YMCA. She was not willing to accept that her body was tiring, and that it would not let that 15 year old girl do the things she wanted to do anymore. She stayed that way until the very end, and she wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Jerry is preceded in death by her parents Elbert and Buena Bowles, her husband Melvin Vaughan, a sister Joan Bowles, and a brother Jim Bowles. She is survived by her two sons Kirk Vaughan and Greg Vaughan, sisters Janice Bowles Janos and Jtonne Bowles Summers, and grandchildren Zachary Vaughan, Chad Vaughan, Kayla Ramsey, and Brooke Ramsey.

A visitation for Jerry will be held Thursday, May 23, 2024 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Sparkman-Crane Funeral Home, 10501 Garland Road, Dallas, TX 75218. A funeral service will occur Friday, May 24, 2024 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM, 10501 Garland Road, Dallas, TX 75218. A graveside service will occur Saturday, May 25, 2024 from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Ames Cemetery, Ames, Ames, OK 73718.