Bowling Green — Gene H. Vaughn, 87, of Bowling Green passed away peacefully Friday, July 24, 2026 at Christian Health Center of Bowling Green.

The Rochester, Butler County, KY native was born September 29, 1938, a son of the late Eldon Howard and Amy Willis Vaughn. He was preceded in death by two sisters, Carol Kemp and her husband, Paul; Billie Mae Jenkins and her husband Justice “Jut”; and a brother, Howard W. Vaughn and his wife Pat.

Gene was a graduate of Butler County High School, Western Kentucky University, and a cum laude graduate of the Kentucky School of Mortuary Science. He was a former co-owner of Johnson Vaughn Phelps Funeral Home, a retired Methodist Pastor: awarded KY Rural Pastor of the Year from the Kentucky Council of Churches; awarded the Small Membership Award from the Louisville Conference of the United Methodist Church. Gene was the co-founder of the Morgantown Mission – awarded the Jefferson Award for this service provided through the mission. He was a former teacher at Bowling Green High School and was a member of Faith Methodist Church.

Survivors include his wife, Evelyn Hardcastle Vaughn; two daughters, Jana V. Kirchner (Tony) and Jeana V. Withers (Preston) all of Bowling Green; four grandchildren, Caleb Kirchner (Grace) of Columbus, Ohio; Megan Benoit (Alex) of Bowling Green; Caitlyn Smith (Austin) of Louisville, KY; Lindsey Withers of Bowling Green; one sister-in-law, Joyce Smith (Damon) of Owensboro, KY; several nieces and nephews,

Funeral Service is scheduled for 12:00 pm, Thursday, July 30, 2026 at Johnson Vaughn Phelps Funeral Home with burial to follow in Fairview Cemetery #1. Visitation will be from 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm, Wednesday, July 29, 2026 and again from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm on Thursday, July 30, 2026 at the funeral home.

Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to The Salvation Army, P O Box 796, Bowling Green, KY 42102 or Faith Methodist Church, 600 Veterans Memorial Lane, Bowling Green, KY 42101.