- Date Of Birth: November 29, 1926
- Date Of Death: February 3, 2012
- State: Colorado
F. VAUGHN GARDINIER 11/29/26 – 2/3/12
Born in Bennington, Kansas, Vaughn spent most of his youth growing up in Littleton and exploring along the Platte River with his younger brother John. This is where he learned to swim, skip rocks, and hunt with his dog. Vaughn went to Littleton High School where he was the star of the one man track team, as well as president of his class. After high school he joined the Navy and has proudly proclaimed he was only four bunks away from Gene Kelly. He was the acclaimed radarman for the USS Auriga. On his first watch he awoke the captain to point out an oncoming enemy only to be reprimanded and told he didn’t know the difference between a ship and a cloud.
After he was discharged from the Navy, Vaughn went on to attend college at Denver University. He majored in economics and has often said if he had it to do over, he would have preferred to be a Landscape Architect. For all of us whose money he managed, we are glad he didn’t. After college he went to Seattle to find a job but ended up back in Littleton where he began working for Dunn and Bradstreet as an asset investigator and where he met his first wife, Alice Walker. They had five children, Lis, Dan, Julie, Maggie, and Tom, (as well as 13 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren) There are many stories about the camping trips the family took, such as setting up their pop-up camper at the end of a runway late at night and not discovering it until the morning. Flat tires and car problems seemed to follow them where ever they went.
Vaughn then became a self employed stockbroker and opened Gardinier and Co. During this time he watched his children grow up, marry, and begin their own lives. He couldn’t have been prouder of his children and who they chose to spend their life with. He adored his grandchildren and took each of them on a trip when they turned eleven. These trips were special to ‘Papa’ and during his 85th birthday party a grandson told him that each one of his grandchildren thought they were his favorite.
Many friendships were made over the years and he cherished each of them for the unique qualities and joy they brought to his life. His friends included both men and women with whom he shared thoughts, gag gifts, and laughter. There were lots of stories of his camping and fishing trips with his buddies.
Vaughn loved everything beautiful and he took great pride in his garden. Roses were his favorite and he had close to 200 rose bushes in his garden, some whose lineage dates back to the time before Christ. He not only created a beautiful garden but also enjoyed beautifying Littleton.
In 1993 he married Mary Tarleton and acquired two more children, Anne and David and six more grandchildren. He and Mary spent much of their time researching and traveling to different destinations all around the world.
Vaughn had a meaningful impact on the City of Littleton and its residents. For 12 years he served on the Littleton City Council as both a member and as Mayor. The addition of bike trails, the South Platte Park and the Littleton Area Historic Museum are some of the many projects he helped become reality. He was the creative force behind the conversion of the old Littleton Town Hall into the Town Hall Arts Center.
Vaughn is greatly loved and respected by his family and his many friends and aquaintences. He believed in building relationships with people and his sense of humor was legendary.
Vaughn finished his autobiography shortly before he turned 85. This is what he had to say…
