Mary is survived by a nephew, Dana Vaughan Reel, and his wife, Nancy, and their two sons, Brian and Kevin; a great-nephew, Guy Maggio, and his wife, Martha; and a daughter, Lily Diane.
Mary was born in the village of Johnson City, N.Y., about 110 miles north of Carbondale, Pa., the area in which Mary grew up. Her parents were Harry Fallon and Annie Lowry Vaughan. She was the youngest of three sisters, with her sisters Elizabeth and Jeanne preceding her in death. The Vaughan family moved to Washington, D.C., about 1940, ultimately residing in Chevy Chase, Md. Mary moved to Sarasota in 1989 with her sister, Jeanne.
Mary (Mike) had a newspaper career spanning 39 years, most of that with the Washington Evening Star-Sunday Star, until it closed in 1981. Mary began in 1945 as a city desk copy girl, and was promoted in 1946 to Star staff reporter covering police, courts, local government, people and events in Washington, D.C., including the distaff side of the White House in the Truman administration. Later, in the women's department, Mary wrote a weekly Capitol Hill column entitled "Candid Congress" and covered food, fashions and home furnishings. In 1964 Mary became the Star's Sunday Women's section editor, including service as editor for arts, home, food, and TV areas.
Mary was the Star's first home furnishings editor and her work included a White House series entitled "The President's House -- The Early Years" that was published shortly after Mrs. John F. Kennedy proposed a search for authentic furnishings to display from earlier periods. Mary was honored to accept a luncheon invitation by Mrs. Kennedy at the White House in April, 1961. Mary earned the first press award of the Potomac Regional Chapter, National Society of Interior Designers, in 1966 for her "distinguished service and outstanding devotion to the field of home furnishings."
After the Washington Star closed in 1981, Mary worked from 1982 through 1984 for the Washington Times as a copy editor on "About Town" for "The Magazine," and later on the National Edition. Mary retired from her newspaper career in 1984, always known as a person with a ready smile, an agreeable attitude, and ready to help anyone in need throughout her career. And yes, as an editor, Mary was a stickler for accuracy and details in all things reported!
Mary was a member of the American Newspaper Women's Club, serving as president in 1960, a member of the Women's National Press Club since 1958 and a proud member of the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., since 1981, achieving the NPC's "Silver Owls" status for 25-year membership in 2006.
Mary served many years as caregiver for her mother, Annie Lowry, in D.C. and later for her sister, Jeanne, in Sarasota, and will be greatly missed by her many cousins, friends and family.
Attribution: Legacy.com
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