William"Bill" C. Vaughn

William “Bill” Creighton Vaughn June 14, 1943 - Nov. 13, 2011 William Creighton Vaughn, known as Bill, beloved husband to Maria and father of Dominic, George and stepson Jairo McCoy, passed away on Sunday, Nov. 13, of natural causes at his home in Vallejo. Bill was born in Kansas City, Missouri on June 14, 1943, to William Bernard and Margie Cordes Vaughn. He was raised in Omaha, Nebraska, the oldest child of six in a rowdy, remarkable Irish Catholic family. From his earliest days, he stood out, not only for his keen intelligence and skills as a pianist, but also for his rebellious soul. He graduated from Creighton Prep and won a scholarship to Creighton University. In 1964 Bill dropped out of Creighton in his senior year and moved to Chicago. There he immersed himself in a bohemian world and became one of the first to oppose the war by writing a letter to his draft board, refusing service. In 1965, he hitchhiked to San Francisco where he was active in the anti-war movement and married his first wife Joan. They returned to Omaha in 1967 where Dominic was born and Bill worked in the inner city for an anti-poverty agency. But in 1967, Bill was determined to make his point and settle his future. He picketed the federal building. This led to his trial and conviction for draft evasion, and his appeal went all the way to the Supreme Court where, with similar cases, his conviction was overturned in 1971. The court determined that not just members of pacifist religions, but those who were sincerely opposed to war could win conscientious objector status. In 1968, while Bill's case was on appeal, he returned to San Francisco, where soon George was born. After the marriage ended in 1969, Bill was always very active in his children's lives. When they were in junior high, he took over full custody, raising them creatively and lovingly. Meanwhile, he continued his education, taking law school courses before earning a degree in Spanish Literature from San Francisco State and completing two years toward a Masters in Administration. In 1972 he was hired as a social worker with the Department of Human Services, City and County of San Francisco. There he began a 39-year career with the department, during which he excelled, first as a social worker and supervisor, finally rising to become Section Manager of the intake units in the Food Stamp division. In 1981, as Bill later wrote, “I met the real love of my life, Maria, on the dance floor of Last Day Saloon, in the Richmond district, at 20 minutes to midnight on New Year's Eve.” That began a 30-year love affair. Maria, now a court interpreter, originally from Colombia, became his life partner. They married in 1986 and enjoyed their life together, traveling to Colombia, Europe and throughout the United States, attending movies and concerts and the many Vaughn family reunions. Bill continued his life-long quest for enlightenment, reading voraciously, writing his memoirs, starting a blog to express his opinions, riding his bike, golfing with his son, hiking the hills with Maria. He was a seeker of knowledge, a Renaissance man who will be sorely missed by all who knew him. Bill is survived by a huge, loving family including Maria; Dominic and wife Doris; George and wife Lily; Jairo and Wendy; his siblings Kathi Michele, Mike, Pierre and Jim; their spouses Jim, Gary, Susan, Debbie and Vicky; five grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. The last line of his memoir explains Bill as well as anything can: “I just want to say how beautiful I think life is and how much that beauty moves me.” A memorial Mass will be held on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 10 a.m. at St. Basil's Church, 1200 Tuolumne St. in Vallejo. Inurnment will be private. Donations in Bill's name may be sent to the ACLU and the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum. Please visit the online tribute at TwinChapelsMortuary.com. Cremation and arrangements are under the direction and care of Twin Chapels Mortuary 707-552-6696.

William"Bill" C. Vaughn

June 14, 1943 - November 13, 2011