William Harrison Vaughn Jr.

Mr. William Harrison Vaughn, Jr., 79, of Orlando-Tavares, FL, died at the Cornerstone Hospice House in Tavares, FL on Monday, June 5, 2023, at 10:42am after courageously battling Alzheimer’s Disease for 10 years in addition to an ongoing fight with Diabetes for over 30 years.

William Harrison Vaughn, Jr. was born in Lima, Ohio on Friday, April 28, 1944, to William Harrison (Harry) Vaughn, Sr., and Robbie Lee (Rutland) Vaughn.  William Harrison graduated from Lima Senior High School in 1962 where he lettered in Football, Basketball, Baseball and Track. 

On February 28, 1963, William Harrison enlisted in the United States Airforce, serving his country for four years during the Vietnam War.  He was promoted to the permanent grade of Airman 1st Class on February 1, 1966.  During his active duty, William Harrison was stationed at Westover Airforce Base in Westover, MA where he began his fire fighter training in the Airforce Fire Department.  During his active duty, William Harrison was stationed overseas in Torrejon Airforce Base in Madrid, Spain and temporarily stationed in U-Tapao, Thailand on the Air Search and Rescue teams bringing soldiers to safety.

William Harrison returned to the United States for bereavement leave in March of 1965 when his father passed away.  While he was home, he was reintroduced to Miss Alfreda Rose Ellen Mines, who had moved across the street from his parents three years prior.  William Harrison and Alfreda immediately started dating while he was home on leave.  They never stopped communicating through letters while William returned to finish his service overseas. These letters were preserved in their safe in a shoebox for the 51 years of their marriage.

William Harrison began his career at Standard Oil Refinery in Lima as a Pipefitter but spent the majority of his career at Ford Motor Company Lima Engine Plant from 1972-1999.  He started as a Plumber-Pipefitter and crossed over into salaried as a Manufacturing Planning Specialist supervising Maintenance personnel.  He received many honors during his career at Ford and was known for leading the never-ending fight for equality for African Americans.  

William Harrison was involved in many activities outside of work.  He was a Probation Officer for the City of Lima for seven years focusing on providing support to local youth. In the seven years of service as a Probation Office for the City of Lima, he was awarded Volunteer Probation Office of the Year in 1976.   He was a Volunteer Firefighter for the Shawnee Fire Department for over twenty years. And lastly, William Harrison was on the Board of Trustees for Lima UMADAOP.   

In 2002, William Harrison and Alfreda moved to Orlando, FL to build their retirement home. They built a beautiful network of loving friends and held leadership positions like President of their Homeowner’s Association and President of the Host of Orlando African American Mens Social Club. William Harrison and his wife Alfreda were also members of small elite social group called The Circle of Friends

William’s favorite hobbies included talking to anyone in earshot, playing music, dancing, singing, cooking, fishing, camping, traveling, and hosting epic house parties.

William Harrison and Alfreda leave three children to cherish their memory, 1 son William Harrison Vaughn, III (April Preston) of Belleview, MI, and 2 daughters; Angela Christine Vaughn of Tavares, FL and Alisha Marie Vaughn (Moss) of Detroit, MI.   They had two grandsons, Christopher William Vaughn (William) and Bakari Akil Moss (Alisha). William Harrison leaves to cherish his memory his last living brother out of 8 siblings, Donald Eugene Vaughn (Janice) of Middletown, Ohio.  

William Harrison was preceded in death by his parents, William Harrison Vaughn Sr and Robbie Lee (Rutland-Fields) Vaughn. 3 brothers, Robert Fields, Walter (Baba A Ziricote) Fields, and Wayne Thomas “Tip” Vaughn Sr; 4 Sisters, Martha Kate Fields, Fannie Laura “Boots”(Fields) Cooper, Mary Lou Fields, and Hazel E (Fields) Copeland McDonald and his wife of 51 years, Alfreda Rose Ellen Vaughn.  He is also survived by a host of nieces, nephews, other family, and friends.

**The Family will be present from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. during the visitation.**

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