Marilyn Marie West Vaughn, 92, of Wichita Falls, passed away on Monday, April 18, 2022.

Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 30 ^th at First Christian Church with Dr. Mark Bender and Dr. David Hartman officiating. Interment will follow at Riverside Cemetery under the direction of Lunn's Colonial Funeral Home.

Marilyn Marie West Vaughn was born January 26, 1930, in Morrilton, Conway County, Arkansas, the second child of Carl and Belma Marie Johnson West.  She graduated from Morrilton High School in 1947 and married Cleatis Leonard (C. L.) Vaughn, a high school band director, on Dec. 23, 1948. She graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University in 1953 with a Bachelor of Music degree, majoring in voice with a minor in piano.

She and C. L. then moved to the Wichita Falls area where she taught elementary school children, usually the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades, at several different grade schools. While still teaching, she continued her education at Midwestern State University, appearing in musical theater productions while working toward a Master's degree in Elementary Education, which she received in 1966. Marilyn continued teaching full-time for the Wichita Falls Independent School District for 34 years until her retirement in 1993. Afterward, she served as a substitute teacher at Notre Dame Elementary School until 2008.

Marilyn and C.L. were a devoted couple with shared interests and values. During their long married life, it was rare to see one without the other. Although they had no children of their own, they helped to raise a foster son, Tim Looney, who currently lives with his family in Houston.

Music was central to Marilyn and C.L. in their life together, as was the church. They were longtime members of the First Christian Church in Wichita Falls, where both of them sang in the choir and participated in many other facets of church life. Marilyn was a frequent soloist in church and taught Sunday School as well. After C.L.'s death in 2005, Marilyn continued her involvement in both the church and the community. She was a member of Encore, the University Chorus at MSU, and the Wichita Falls Community Chorus. Music was Marilyn's gift, and as long as she was able, she shared that gift with her church and her community.

For those desiring, memorial contributions may be made to First Christian Church, 3701 Taft Blvd., Wichita Falls, TX 76308.