John "Shotgun" Manly Vaughan

John Manly “Shotgun” Vaughan, 93, of Mineral Wells, passed away Tuesday, September 28, 2021.  Services will be Monday, October 4, 2021, 10:30am, Woodland Park Cemetery, 2600 Hwy 281 South, Mineral Wells. Visitation will precede the service 9:45am at the cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to First Christian Church, 302 NW 6^th Street, Mineral Wells, Texas 76067. 

John was born December 3, 1927 in the Sturdivant Community, the son of Raymond Manly and Lena Elizabeth Loan Vaughan.  He was a proud 1944 graduate of Mineral Wells High School.  He earned his B.S. degree from Texas A&M University in 1949, completed officer candidate school and served in the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps from 1950-1953. 

John married his sweetheart, Elizabeth Massengale Vaughan, June 9, 1951.  Elizabeth and John lived in Mineral Wells for 60 of their 65 years of marriage.  After his discharge, John served the U.S. Army for over a decade performing civilian quartermaster duties for reserve units performing maneuvers at Fort Wolters.  Over the years, John served as the Kiwanis Club president, Mineral Wells ISD trustee for two terms, President of the Board at Holiday Hills Country Club, Elder, Trustee and Sunday School teacher at First Christian Church, various leadership roles at local charitable, county historic and cemetery preservation organizations and in the Palo Pinto County Sheriff’s Posse.  In 2004, John was inducted into the Mineral Wells High School Hall of Honor. He owned and operated K-Bob’s Steakhouse with his brother Bill and then Shotgun’s BBQ with his son John K. “Johnny” Vaughan.  He retired in 1995, selling the restaurant to his long-time manager, Gabe Nickerson. Shotgun received his nickname when he was a teenager whose dogs wandered into a pasture where a shotgun-toting neighbor supposedly hid a “still” and a large supply of bootleg whiskey. Young John went to the pasture with his brother and a friend in search of his dogs when the owner burst out of his home thinking the boys were there to steal his whiskey.  A quantity of bird shot was later discovered in the pants of a fleeing John Vaughan, who forever after was known as “Shotgun”.

Shotgun was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 65 years, Elizabeth, his parents and sisters Betty Jo Kidwell, Letha Raye Brannon, Retha Faye Cameron and Mayme Ruth Armstrong.  He is survived by son John K. Vaughan of Mineral Wells, grandson Kyle Vaughan and great-grandchildren Caden and Emery Vaughan of Fort Worth, daughter Julia Vaughan and son-in-law Jonathan Dowben of San Antonio with children: Lauren, Ashley, Sydney and Michael Dowben, brother William H. Vaughan and wife Cynthia of Ingram, sister-in-law Mary Anne Culpepper of College Station and numerous nieces, nephews and in laws. 

The Vaughan family wishes to express gratitude to Dr. Patrick Hisel and staff as well as caregivers Marcelle Smith and Johnnie Harden and the caregiving staff of Renew Home Health and Hope Hospice. Their kindness and care were always deeply appreciated.