Lloyd Vaughn

Lloyd grew up around automobiles, influenced by his father, Robert, who owned a salvage yard and was an avid racer. It was there that Lloyd developed a lifelong love of cars. He graduated from Pocola High School in 1973 before pursuing his passion for automobiles and racing. That passion eventually led him to racing, beginning at Razorback Speedway and later finishing his racing days at Tri-State Speedway. His love of automobiles remained an important part of his life, ultimately becoming both his passion and his profession as the owner of Lloyd’s Alignment and Auto.

Lloyd was fearless, always willing to push the limits, and known to occasionally overdo it. He once climbed to the top of a baseball field light pole with no safety equipment just to change a light. Anyone who knew Lloyd would have no trouble believing it. Anyone who watched him roll his race car three times also knew that Lloyd was never afraid to live a little on the edge. Whatever he chose to do, he had a way of doing it all the way and sometimes a little further.

Later in life, Lloyd even developed his own favorite rating scale: “1¾ thumbs up,” a bit of humor born from another example of Lloyd pushing the limits, this time with a table saw. Like so many things in Lloyd’s life, he could find a way to turn even a mishap into something worth laughing about.

More than anything, Lloyd loved helping people and found great satisfaction in being able to do something for someone else. He never met a stranger and rarely, if ever, told anyone who needed his help “no.” His generosity often came at the expense of his own many projects, which had a habit of remaining unfinished while Lloyd was busy helping someone else finish theirs. Later in life, he found a great sense of pride and purpose in helping with projects at First Lutheran School.

Those who knew Lloyd also knew that things tended to happen on “Vaughn time.” It was once said that if Lloyd told you something would take three hours, you had better plan on six. He had his own way of doing things and his own timetable for getting them done.

Lloyd spent most of his adult life doing what mattered most to him, raising his family and being there for the people around him. During those years, he also served his community as a volunteer firefighter for the City of Arkoma for more than 20 years. His willingness to help others, whether it was a friend, a stranger, or someone experiencing their worst day, was simply part of who Lloyd was. He was also a longtime member of First Lutheran Church.

Later in life, Lloyd discovered another passion in RV camping. Along the way, he and Pamela made many great memories traveling and camping with a close group of friends who affectionately called themselves the “Happy Campers.” Those trips brought new adventures, lasting friendships, plenty of stories, and some of the best memories of his later years.

Lloyd also liked to say that there were only two things he had to do in life: pay taxes and die. Depending on the day, even the taxes might have been questionable. Lloyd finally completed the second of those obligations, but he did so after 72 years of building a life filled with family, cars, racing, hard work, friendship, laughter, and countless hours spent helping others.

In addition to his parents, Lloyd was preceded in death by his sister, Delpha Vaughn; two brothers, Marvin Vaughn and Bobby Vaughn; nephews, Michael Brasch and Gerry Don Vaughn; and nieces, Laurie Douglas and Andrea Vaughn.

He is survived by his wife, Pamela Vaughn; two sons, Jason Vaughn and his wife, Amber, of Fort Smith, and Corey Vaughn and his wife, Terri, of Greenwood; three sisters, Paula Henry and her husband, Robert, of Pocola, Oklahoma, Denise Cox and her husband, Dusty, of Rye Hill, and Della Brasch and her husband, Mike, of Fort Smith; and two brothers, Jerry Lee Vaughn and his wife, Paula, and Wendell Vaughn and his wife, Suzie, both of Pocola.

Lloyd is also survived by five grandchildren: Taylor Vaughn, Ethan Vaughn, Cooper Vaughn, Sawyer Vaughn, and Harrison Vaughn.

Services will be held on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at First Lutheran Church, 1115 North D Street, Fort Smith. Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m., and the funeral service will begin at 11:00 a.m. A lunch celebrating Lloyd’s life will follow the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to First Lutheran School, 2407 Massard Road, Fort Smith, AR 72903, or through the First Lutheran Church website.