Nov. 6, 1931
Jeanine Lou Hansen Vaughan, 90, passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by her loving family. Jeanine was born in Smithfield, Utah, on Nov. 6, 1931, to Dorius Hans Hansen and Virginia Priscilla Woodall Hansen.
Jeanine was the oldest daughter of a family with seven siblings. Jeanine was given a lot of personal responsibility caring for her younger siblings; she accepted this responsibility and enjoyed the time spent with her brothers and sisters. Jeanine’s great love was reading, studying and making her own clothes while she was in high school. Jeanine excelled and was a straight-A student in school. Jeanine loved to sing; she had a beautiful voice and sang many solos and sang a duet at her graduation ceremony. Her singing career ended as an adult when her vocal cord was paralyzed during neck surgery to repair a disc damaged in an earlier automobile accident.
While attending North Cache High School in Richmond, Utah, she met a young farm boy from the small town of Lewiston, Utah. Jeanine married her high school sweetheart, Robert Lionel Vaughan, on April 18, 1949. They were sealed in the Logan LDS Temple on June 14, 1950, for time and all eternity before her husband, Robert, left for Korea with the Utah National Guard. The first 12 years of their marriage they were blessed with five beautiful children, four sons and one daughter, Dan, Randy, Vicki, Steve and Cory.
Jeanine and Robert, for the first years of their marriage always held hands wherever they went. They would kiss after their prayers at home and even after the blessing on the food. They never went to bed without a good night kiss and saying, “I love you.” They showed this type of love, kindness and respect for each other for all those many years.
Jeanine was very dedicated to education, and she loved to learn and develop her knowledge. After she received her bachelor’s degree from Utah State University, she obtained a teaching position at Logan Junior High and taught there for two years while continuing work on her master’s degree. She had to get special permission from the university administration to carry 21 credit hours during the summer 1969 so she could finish her master’s degree. On June 8, 1968, she graduated with honors and was a member of the National Honor Society in Psychology. She and her husband, Robert, and their sons Dan and Randall all received degrees in 1968. Jeanine with her master’s degree, Robert with his bachelor’s degree, their son Dan, graduated from Logan High School and their son Randall graduated from Logan Junior High School. All four were honored with an article in the local newspaper as a graduating family.
After Jeanine and Robert graduated in 1968, they decided they wanted to locate to a warmer climate than Logan, Utah. They flew to Arizona for interviews. They both were offered positions in education for the coming school year. They quickly bought a home in Mesa and went back to Logan to prepare for the move to Arizona. Jeanine taught at Chandler High School for one year while continuing graduate work at Arizona State University. She became a Board-Certified Psychologist, certified by the Arizona State Board of Psychologist Examiners and worked for Tri-City Mental Health Center for one year. Robert was working for Mesa Public Schools. She became one of the top psychologists in the district and developed several uniform testing forms that were used in the Psychology Department. Jeanine became well known and respected among many of the professional personnel around the State of Arizona.
Jeanine was hired by the Bureau of Indian Affairs to do psychological testing of Indian students on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Northern Arizona. She was Director of Psychological Services. She got special permission from the Mesa Public Schools to work part-time while this program was going on. She had 19 psychologists working for her and several typists to type the reports. She worked with the Bureau of Indian Affairs for two years when she decided that with five children and a husband that one job was enough, so she went back to her full-time position as a psychologist for the Mesa Public Schools until she retired in 1991.
During their tenure with Mesa Public Schools, Jeanine’s husband Robert became interested in flying. Jeanine wanted to fly too so they purchased an airplane and both started flying. They both joined the Arizona Civil Air Patrol and flew many search and rescue missions. They also taught Aerospace Education to cadets throughout the state of Arizona. They both achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel and retired after 15 years of service in the Civil Air Patrol.
She and her husband Robert served an LDS Church-service mission at the Family History Training Center in St. George, Utah, from 2006-2007. They both enjoyed helping others work on their family history.
Jeanine was a very dedicated wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend to many. She had a great love for her family and enjoyed watching her posterity grow in numbers.
Jeanine is preceded in death by ever-loving husband Robert and survived by her five children: Dan (Jeanie), Randall (Marla), Vicki (Jerry) Kinnaman, Steven (Maelon) and Cory (Martha); 51 grandchildren, 84 great-grandchildren and 15 great-great-grandchildren
A visitation will be held Tuesday, June 14, 6-8 p.m. at Spilsbury Mortuary, 110 S Bluff St., St. George. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, June 15, at 10 a.m., at Spilsbury Mortuary, with another visitation to be held one hour prior to services.
Interment will take place at Tonaquint Cemetery after the funeral services.
Those who are unable to attend the services in person are welcome to watch virtually; click here.
Arrangements are under the direction of Spilsbury Mortuary, 110 S Bluff St., St. George, 435-673-2454. Family and friends are invited to sign Jeanine’s online guest book.