Vaughn G. Mead

A lifelong Shelby area resident, Vaughn Garrett Mead passed away at home under hospice care on January 20, 2020 with his wife, Mary Ann and their loving family at his side.

Born August 27, 1939, the second son of Laurence and Edith (Pletcher) Mead, Vaughn enjoyed a lot of the simple things in life and for the last fifteen years after retirement, could often be found around his home on Woodrow Road, Shelby mowing the large yards in the summer, plowing snow in the winter and generally just enjoying the country life.

Vaughn graduated Shelby High School in 1959 and soon after, married the love of his life, Mary Ann (Lound) a next door neighbor for several years prior.  They celebrated sixty years of marriage on October 24, 2019.  The couple not only graduated eighth grade at Blooming Valley together, but SHS as well.  They had four children, Sandy (Mike) Beyer and their children, Adam Beyer and Amy (Derek) Sly;  Mike (Teresa) Mead and their children, Corey (Dana) Mead, Samantha Mead and Sean (Kaylee) Mead;  Anna (Ed) Kroll and their children, Lori (Nate) Engstrom and Jason (Amy) Snyder; Scott (Sherice) Mead and their children, Haleigh (Michael) Krombeen, Kelsey Mead, Hanna (Walker) Barrs and Joel Mead; plus ten great-grandchildren.

During his high school years and afterwards for several more, he worked for Jim Morse on his many farm operations and then in the Jim Morse storage and apple packing operation on Baseline Road.  He later worked for his good friend, Pat Kelly at the Kelly Standard Gas and Service Station in Shelby before joining with his brother-in-law, Frank Henderson in the H and M Sunoco Service Station on Fruitvale Road north of Montague.  They also had an Arctic Cat Sales and Service Center for a number of years.  After discontinuing the gas and snow cat businesses, Vaughn then owned and operated Mead Service from that location until his retirement.

Besides being with his family, Vaughn loved to hunt, fish, camp, shoot, ride his quad and side by side, his garden tractors, his Ford trucks, his antique Lincoln, dancing, parties, yard sales, lots of good friends and a beer on occasion.  Vaughn was a longtime regular member of the Thursday night fertilizer group and always enjoyed a good story and a good laugh.  In the late 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s he was an avid snowmobiler from the first snow until spring rains.

Vaughn would have been comfortable living in an earlier generation when life was a bit slower, less complicated, less PC.  While he seldom hunted squirrel and rabbit anymore, (something he did as a youngster and into adulthood), he still loved deer hunting, feeding fox and grey squirrel and eliminating any and all red squirrels that dared venture near his yard.  A good friend pointed out that the few red squirrel that were still in the area were probably now breathing a big sigh of relief.

Vaughn is also survived by his sisters, Maxine Clark and Darlene Frishett; brother, Rick (Debbie) Mead; and aunt, Ethelyn Morningstar.  He was preceded in death by his parents, Laurence and Edith, brothers, Lawrence “Sonny” Mead and David “Bug” Mead, brothers-in-law, Arden Clark and Donald and Martin Lound, sisters-in-law, Shirley, Charlene and Catherine Lound and infant grandson, Joshua Mead. 

Private family services will be held for Vaughn at this time.   A celebration of Vaughn’s life will also be held in the summer at family farm for family and friends on a date to be announced. Please consider Crystal Valley Care Fund, P.O. Box 451, Hart, MI  49420 or Oceana Goodfellows, c/o Michelle Tietz, 913 S. Oceana Drive, Shelby, MI  49455 as a memorial.  

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