Milton “Rabbit” Vaughn, age 89, passed away on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. He was born on October 18, 1936 in Littlefield, TX. Rabbit was a hard-working husband, father, grandfather, businessman, and friend.
Milt grew up on the family farm in Littlefield and found his way to Texas Tech University in 1955 on a football scholarship. As a small, quick running back, he soon earned the nickname “Rabbit.” He was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and graduated with a degree in industrial engineering. While at Tech, he met his future wife, Ann Denny. They married in December of 1958 and were married for 67 years. Milt went on to earn a master’s degree in industrial engineering from Kansas State University and a PhD in industrial engineering from Oklahoma State University. He and Ann lived in Fort Collins, CO, where he taught at CSU for 12 years before moving back to Odessa, TX to interview and choose the first faculty members for UTPB. Lubbock and Texas Tech drew them back, and he started his business, Vaughn Storage Systems, where he worked for 50 years and was a generous and compassionate boss and leader to his employees.
Ann and Rabbit have two daughters, Amy Hanson (Jeff) and Lisa Vasquez (Joe). They have three grandchildren, Madison, Jacob, and Julia (Hector), and a great-grand-daughter, Esme. Milt was a follower of Christ and a member of First Baptist Church and the Tom Neal Sunday School Class. He was on the original committee instrumental in bringing the Young Life ministry to Lubbock and was a supporter of Campus Crusade through the years.
A celebration of life service will be held on Wednesday, August 12 at 2:30 pm at Lake Ridge Chapel with a reception to follow.
