Richard Vaughan

Richard Vaughan (Dicky to his many friends) was born and raised in Lapeer, Michigan. After graduating from Lapeer High School in 1949, he went to work for GM in Flint but soon discovered that working in a factory didn't fit his people personality. He moved up north and managed an electrical company for 15 years. Later, he represented a cigarette company in the Upper Peninsula and drove every possible road in good weather and bad to reach his Mom and Pop stores. He laughed at the times he was literally thrown out of a store, only to return later to find a way to turn the owner into a friend who would stock his wares in the best location. When he decided he wanted to learn the construction trade, he signed on with a master builder and took classes where he learned how to build quality homes from the ground up. In 1970 in moved to Grand Rapids and discovered that stricter licensing restrictions prevented him from working in the construction business so he regrouped and moved on. He started Dial the Maid, a company that provided cleaning ladies who were trained and bonded to clean while the client was at work. He picked the ladies up in a van, drove them to the job and drove them home when the job was completed. He also learned how to hang draperies properly and enjoyed doing that for a time. When wood stoves became popular, he searched for a quality product and loved representing that company in Michigan and Indiana. He became involved with various multi-level companies where his people skills really proved useful. He decided to open a flower shop when we moved to our downtown condo. Finally, he, along with Phil and Ron, formed Transnational Agronomy, a company that worked with farmers to help them learn how to raise crops by using safe fertilizers instead of toxic ones. His job was to order supplies and pay the bills but he was able to travel occasionally to meet and work with some of the farmers. He retired from TNA in 1985. When anyone ever asked him what he had done for a living, he usually asked if they wanted the Readers' Digest version or did they have time to listen to the complete story! He always loved a challenge and he found it by working in so many different areas. Now to recent times and his health issues. In July of 2013 he had a colonoscopy and was told that it looked cancerous and surgery should be scheduled. We had some travel plans for August and September and Dicky asked if the surgery could wait until October. Dicky made a pact with me that we would not tell any of our family or friends about this diagnosis at first so that our news wouldn't serve as a "wet blanket". We took our dear friends Dave and Judy to Saugatuck as a thank you for them letting us stay at their home when our building was evacuated during the flooding of the Grand River. Jim and Bonnie offered us the use of their 5th wheel in early September where we enjoyed being by the Grand Haven channel, watching boat traffic and all kinds of people traffic. Our Marriage Encounter friends came to spend a day and that was so special for both of us. At the end of September we treated Jim and Bonnie to a trip to Chicago as a thank you for taking us in during the flood and for loaning us their 5th wheel. That trip was wonderful for all of us but it wouldn't have been so nice if they knew what was waiting for him in October. He was scheduled for colon surgery in mid October but he was in too much pain to wait so he went to ER and had emergency surgery. That surgery seemed to go well but he was home for less than 24 hours and his incision began opening and he was rushed back for another surgery. October is a blur with so many trips to the hospital with surgeries and all kinds of procedures. During this time he was a patient on 4-G at Blodgett Hospital and grew to know and appreciate the nurses there who were so kind and loving. After another trip to ER and being sent to ICU for a few days, he was given a room on 4-H because there weren't any beds available on 4-G. When the nurses finally had an open bed, they literally went to 4-H in the middle of the night and "kidnapped" him and took him back to 4-G! He loved that they did this for him. Everyone wanted to be his nurse because he was such a pleasure to have as a patient. He was either in the hospital or at rehab for most of October, November and December. Not once did he complain about this! He decided to make the most of the experience and he made it his mission to make friends with everyone who helped him. His last "meal" was chicken soup on Thanksgiving because the next day they said he needed TPN which would be given to him at night through a PIC line. For six months he was fed through this line and never complained! His doctor scheduled him for further surgery on May 30 where he tried to "put him back together" so we could have some quality of life for a few more months. We knew he didn't have long as he had terminal liver cancer but it would have been nice to live a normal life. One day I asked him what he would like to have as his first meal when he could eat again and he said, "A fish sandwich from Culver's"! That's proof that advertising works because he had seen several ads for Culver's and wanted to go there even though we rarely go to any fast-food restaurant and have only been to Culver's for their great ice cream. He didn't have the opportunity to have that fish sandwich because he died on Monday, June 9 while still in ICU. He would be thrilled if his friends and family would go to Culver's and have a fish sandwich in his memory. During his 8 months of being in the hospital and rehab, we found that most of his nurses and doctors were top notch and loving, but we also found out that some people should not have chosen the health field. One example is when he went to rehab and after dinner on his first night he rang for someone to come to help and no one came for at least 30 minutes. By the time someone finally came, he was getting desperate to have help in the bathroom. When he told the nurse how desperate he was, she said, "That's OK. Just go in your pants and we will clean you up"!!! When we asked for a 2nd opinion, that doctor came into his room and sat as far away from him as he could, never went to the bed to shake hands and while giving us his opinion, he was actually texting!! No compassion whatsoever! Most of his caregivers, however, were wonderful, compassionate and caring. He especially loved his nurses at Blodgett Hospital on 4-G and his special wound nurse, Annie the Angel, who worked on the 5th floor of St. Mary's. Penny, our Visiting Nurse was so special for both of us. She was wonderful in so many ways. I won't say the doctor's name because he probably would prefer it that way, but we were so fortunate to find "Dr. A" who performed his last surgery. He is a man first and a doctor second. He is the most caring doctor we have ever had. He always drew up a chair and sat close to Dicky and me to talk and he comforted me with an arm around my shoulder or held my hand when he had really difficult news for us. He is a true angel!! During this difficult time we also were surrounded by many loving friends and family. I couldn't have done this without the fabulous help of Bonnie, my sister-in-law. She was so helpful I changed her name to "Rocky" because she was my rock that helped me in so many ways. Our Plaza Towers family stepped up to help us get through the rough times. There are so many people who helped and they know who they are. We couldn't have done it without them coming in to stay the night so I could leave and get some rest without having to worry about Dicky. They brought meals, came for visits, and were just "there for us" all the time. Heaven has its newest angel now that Dicky has arrived. He is no longer in pain and now has much better accommodations. During this long ordeal, he NEVER complained about his condition and always treated his caregivers with love and respect. He set the bar pretty high for the rest of us! He will be missed by so many people whose lives he touched. Memorial service will be at Unity Church, 1711 Walker Ave., NW, Grand Rapids on Sunday, June 22 at 2:00. In lieu of flowers, Dicky's request is that you do a kind deed for someone in his memory. To read the complete obituary and sign the online guest book, please visit www.stegengafuneralchapel.com. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Richard "Dicky" John Vaughan please visit our Sympathy Store.