October 17, 1951 – February 2, 2025
Stephen P Vaughn, aka, “Pancake.” Father, grandfather, brother, uncle, son, friend, cousin, fisherman, hunter, builder, hummingbird lover. 1951-2025.
Steve left this earthly world on the first weekend of February. A sudden heart attack at his home meant that he missed his Sunday waffles with family friends, for which he would have been sad, but also that he didn’t have to set foot in a hospital, for which he would have been thankful.
Steve was born in Los Angeles, and grew up in Orange County, CA. He wandered the length of the west coast by foot, car, bike and train, and landed in the high desert near Hesperia for many years . . . below a specific oak tree, near his favorite hot springs, where he made lifetime friends, and where his first son spent his early years.
Later Steve moved to Hop Canyon, NM with his wife Leslie and a backpack. He left 20 years later, possibly with the same backpack, having built a house, drilled a well, erected a windmill, and raised 4 children. He returned to California, and lived in Lake Tahoe, near his parents, brothers, niece and nephews. In Tahoe he continued working as a carpenter and was passionate about fishing in the high mountain lakes with the select few who would get up early enough and walk far enough to join him. By 2019 he was done shoveling snow. He headed south again, eventually making his way to Socorro, NM, where he spent the rest of this life.
Steve loved early morning coffee and reading his bible. He was a man of faith and principles that didn’t care about cultural trends, nor did he seem aware they existed most of the time. He loved to walk and hum, and he had strong square hands and gave bracing hugs. He loved flowers, birds, heirloom tomatoes and peaches. He was known for his staccato laugh, and his love of hot water and steam–spending most evenings in his inflatable hot tub and home-made sauna. He didn’t care much for other earthly possessions. More than anything else he loved his kids and grandkids.
Steve is survived by his children, Adam (Rachael), Israel, Hannah (Dain), David (Daisha), and Barnabas; by his brothers Mark (Carolyn), Dean, and Wayne; by his grandchildren, Eva, Ana, Arlo, Teagan, Farrah, Vivian, and Lillian; his nephews, Jason (Timbra), Chris, and James (Jorden) , and niece Jen (Tony); and by his lifetime friends Dan and Wendy.
We would have like to have another visit, to take another walk with you, to share a beer, to sit quietly in the sauna, to hike up to another mountain lake, to watch the hummer birds come back again in the summer. We weren’t quite ready for you to go.
The family wants to thank Jimmy and Laurie, and our cousin James for their grit and sensitivity… you are the silver lining. We love you.
