The industry along with family and friends are mourning the loss of Vaughn Williamson, a longtime veteran of the amusement business who passed away peacefully and surrounded by his family on March 14 after a battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 59.
Vaughn most recently worked for AstroSystems, maker of coin and bill validators, and was at the company’s 2020 Amusement Expo working the show. (That’s Vaughn at left with James Day at the company’s booth.) He reportedly got his start working for Utah operator Craig Johnson and had a four-decade career that was highlighted by positions at Fastcorp, Rowe International and VendEver. Respected for being a dedicated and hard-working professional, what is obvious by reading comments left on the Facebook page shared by Vaughn and his wife Ellen, is that he will be best remembered for being a truly kind person.
AMI’s John Margold said, “He worked as a technician/trainer for several years at Rowe and then transitioned into a regional sales role. He worked in that capacity for close to 10 years at Rowe-AMI and he made a lot of friends during that time, both internal staff and customers, both distributors and operators.”
As a young man, Vaughn excelled in music, winning a John Phillips Sousa award in high school. He loved all sorts of activities including roller skating (which is how he met the love of his life, his wife Ellen). They married in 1981 and raised two sons, Shane and Skylar. He was a devoted family man, and in his obituary, it said, “His greatest joy came from being a loving father and participating in the accomplishments of his sons.”
Vaughn was also an outdoor enthusiast and enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping and skiing. He was also known for being a very intelligent person who never stopped learning. It was said that he was “confident in his ability to fix and build anything” and loved tinkering with anything involving technology and doing remodeling work around the home.
He is survived by his wife, Ellen; sons, Shane Clark Williamson and Skylar Young Williamson; father, Lynn Clark Williamson; and his siblings Terre Lynn (Paul) Christiansen, Shelly Marie Williamson, Terresa Deon (Douglas) Slade, and Marty Keith Williamson. Vaughn was preceded in death by his mother, Donna Marie Williamson.
Visitation will be held today, March 19, from 5-8 p.m. at Floral Hills Funeral Home, Taylor Mill, Ky. The funeral service will follow on Saturday, March 20, at 10 a.m. at the funeral home with interment immediately following at Floral Hills Memorial Gardens. To leave a condolence or access the livestream of the funeral service, visit www.floralhillsmemorialgardens.com.