David Lorin Vaughan

November 12, 1953 - October 20, 2020

David Lorin Vaughan passed away on Tuesday October 20, 2020. David was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Betty. He is survived by his wife, Carol, his two daughters, Michelle Lee and Lori Kessler, his grandson Samuel Kessler, his older sister Lorraine Vaughan, and younger sister, Karen Lopez, along with many other cousins and friends. David Lorin Vaughan was born on November 12, 1953 to parents Lorin and Florence Vaughan. He was the second oldest of four children. David grew up in Kingsburg, CA on a farm where his parents produced raisins and raised chickens. From the time he was a young boy David was always ready to stick up for his family and for what was right. He had many stories of defending himself, his sisters or classmates from teachers or unfair situations when he was growing up. David also came from a family of musicians. He played the alto saxophone in the high school band and was a lifelong music lover. He was such a hard worker and had great work ethic. He started working at age 9 with his first job as a newspaper boy. When he got his driver's license at age 16, he started work as a gas station attendant. After graduating high school, David and his best friend Barney Schwedler, got jobs working at the Chevron station out in Kettleman City. David had many stories about the interesting drivers he encountered there and scenarios working out in Kettleman City when it was just that one gas station and little else. David eventually left his job with Chevron in Kettleman City and became a truck driver. He was then a truck driver for the remainder of his working years. In his bachelor days, Dave enjoyed working on cars and riding motorcycles in his spare time. He also enjoyed learning about the Civil War and participating in Civil War re-enactments with his cousin, Ron Vaughan. In 1979 David was working for Kingsburg Trucking which was owned by Jake Janzen. He was invited to Jake and his wife Carolin's 25th anniversary party. Dave thought he'd better make an appearance at the party because it was his employer's party. At that party, Carolin Janzen introduced David to her niece, Carol. The first few encounters they had, they weren't sure anything was going to come of it, but at one point, as David would fondly re-tell, he just knew: "you're in trouble now Dave", meaning he knew they were meant to get married. David married Carol on June 20, 1981 in Kingsburg, CA. They enjoyed six years of married life, taking motorcycle road trips and having time to get to know each other, before they were blessed with their oldest daughter, Michelle. David grew up in a Christian household, knew the Lord, and regularly went to church with his wife, Carol. In later years he was fond of talking about when he was truly "set free" in 1991 after hearing the message of grace preached by Bob George at People's Church in Fresno. Since that time he was passionate about God's grace and being free from legalistic religious practices. He and Carol began to attend Lindcove Community Bible Church in 1991. David and Carol had two daughters, Michelle and Lori, and they lived in Kingsburg until 1996. David and Carol both had jobs in Tulare, CA and they decided to move to Tulare at that time. David began working as a truck driver, hauling milk for Dairyman's (now Land O' Lakes) in Tulare in 1985. He would often tell the story of how he was essentially "un-hireable" as a truck driver because he had gotten into an accident while driving a truck for Foster Farms in February of 1985. David enjoyed telling how God helped him get the job at Dairyman's through the help of a fellow motorcycle enthusiast, Tex Thorpe, who had connections at the company Dairyman's. David had countless stories of his encounters with dairy owners, dairy workers, and co-workers while on the job after 30 years. He shared that he used the many hours driving his truck to pray, talk to God and think through things going on in his life. David would often say that it was God's plan that he worked at Dairyman's/Land O' Lakes in order to provide great medical insurance and income for his family. He worked as a truck driver for Land O' Lakes until 2015 when he officially retired after 30 years. David's time with Dairyman's/Land O' Lakes was a great example of his commitment to hard work and persevering with a job he didn't particularly care for in order to provide for his family. Every summer David would take his family on an RV trip. The family has many fond memories of RV trips all over California and even a trip to Colorado. David enjoyed camping, RV travel, and travel in general throughout his life. Some of his favorite places to repeatedly travel to were Reno, NV, and the central coast of California. He also got to realize a life long dream of visiting Civil War battlefields in a trip to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in April of 2017. Along with being a lifelong lover of music and history, David always loved cars. He loved working on cars as a young man. He took meticulous care of his own vehicles and enjoyed doing much of the maintenance himself. He loved attending classic car shows and watching TV programs featuring classic cars. He also enjoyed watching drag racing and attended several National Hot Rod Association drag racing events. David was very supportive of his daughters and especially enjoyed when they participated in music and marching band. He would attend as many parades, concerts, and football games as his work schedule allowed. He particularly enjoyed when they were members of the Fresno State Marching Band. He loved how loud and powerful the Fresno State Marching Band was. He enjoyed being a support to his daughters' band directors and students of the bands they participated in. David taught his daughters the meaning of hard work, the value of God's grace and what it meant to have a father who loved them the best way he knew how to. He gave his family precious memories of traveling every summer in their RV and spending time telling his stories and sharing lessons he learned in his life. Dave could be a little rough around the edges at times but deep down he had a giving and loving heart. He loved helping people and giving meaningful gifts. Some of his favorite stories to tell were of times he gave unexpected gifts to people. He also loved making jokes and making up silly nicknames for people. Many people will remember fondly the names he made up for them or the special way he would call out or sing their name. David will be sorely missed by his family and friends. Many things will help keep his memory alive. Each time Michael Jackson's song "Thriller" comes on, his family will remember how much he loved listening to that song each Halloween. Every time they fill up their car at a Chevron station, his family will remember how he never used any other type of gasoline in his cars and urged them to do the same. Every time they see Star Wars or hear the Darth Vader theme, they will remember his Darth Vader impression. Every time they see Pepsi, they will remember how it was his favorite drink. But more importantly, he will be remembered for the love he gave, the laughs he caused with his silly jokes, and his generosity toward family and friends. Viewing will be held 4-7pm Monday, October 26th, 2020 at Salser & Dillard Creighton Chapel, 1588 Lincoln Street, Kingsburg. Graveside services will be held 10am Tuesday, October 27th, 2020 at Kingsburg Cemetery, 12782 E. Clarkson Avenue, Kingsburg. Services have been entrusted to Salser & Dillard Creighton Chapel. Memorial Tributes and condolences may be offered by logging onto www.salseranddillard.com.