Thursday, October 1, 2026
Vaughn Austin Burgess, age 96, passed away peacefully after a brief illness on Feb. 18, 2026 in Olympia, Washington. He was born on Oct. 13, 1929 in St. Clair, Minnesota, to Jacob and Mayme (Corbin) Burgess.
Vaughn joined the Army in 1946 at age 16 and served in Japan, Korea, Germany and France until retiring as Master Sergeant in 1968 at Fort Lewis, Washington. He then went to work for the state of Washington from 1969 until retiring in 1981.
Vaughn met and married Evelyn (Goldsby) in 1967 and their blended family included 10 children. They lived at Black Lake in Olympia, Washington, for many years, moving to Rochester, Washington, in 1993 until Evelyn’s death in 2020. Vaughn was previously married to Haruko Oda, and Bok Soon Lee (both now deceased).
Vaughn and Evelyn traveled to Quartzsite, Arizona, for many years in the winter where they had a small vacation home. They also enjoyed traveling across the United States, eventually visiting every national park and monument in America. Other travels included various destinations throughout the Pacific Northwest, but they especially loved the Washington and Oregon coasts.
Vaughn enjoyed lapidary gemstone work, making jewelry and cutting slabs of ornate rock. He also gardened and grew hundreds of dahlias and lilies, making beautiful flower arrangements. He enjoyed his extensive record collection and taking “goofy” photos. In his later years, he took up painting and he was quite good at it!
Vaughn is survived by sons Frank De La Cerna (Kelly), David Burgess (Keiko), James Carr (Kristen), and Arnold Wellman (Sharon); daughters Susan Burgess, Toni Bigelow, Janet Walter, and Nancy McAntosh (Todd); 18 grandchildren, and 15 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; siblings Maurice, Milton, Lowell, Mildred, and Evelyn; son James Burgess; daughter Mary Kim; and wife Evelyn.
A private interment and Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.
