William Maurice Vaughns

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William Maurice Vaughns, age 66, was born on November 21, 1957, in Uniontown, PA and passed away peacefully on September 17, 2024, in Paris (Nanterre), France after a long battle with cancer.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Dr. Fred L. Vaughns and Frances R. Branson Vaughns of Uniontown, PA; brother, Freddie T. (Sabrina) Vaughns of Washington, DC, and brother-in-law, James E. Coffey, Jr. of Uniontown, PA.

William is survived by three children: William Joseph Colbert of Connellsville, PA, Celia Melodie Vaughns of Copenhagen, Denmark, and Pearl Harmony Vaughns of Southern France; siblings: Lisa G. Coffey of Uniontown, PA, and Dana G. (Joni) Vaughns, Sr. of Las Vegas, NV; six grandchildren: Aaron, Christopher, Joey Jr., Breana, Jaeda, and Michael; a host of nieces, nephews, and cousins, and a special goddaughter, Kerri Lynn Harris Crews.

While living in Uniontown, Maurice was a member of the John Wesley A.M.E. Zion Church’s junior choir, the Uniontown-Brownsville NAACP, and the YMCA. He loved frequenting city parks, playing games, dancing, and music. Maurice was a free spirit, and he had a genuine love of people.  

Influenced by his father’s ability to speak French, Maurice fell in love with the language and chose to study it throughout his college years. He attended Penn State University, Middlebury College in Vermont, and the University of Paris Sorbonne in Paris, France.  He earned advanced degrees in English, French, and Spanish. He also was fluent in Swahili and Arabic.  His foreign language skills enabled him to make a career in France as an international translator for visiting dignitaries, hotel management, and as an English teacher in French schools.

Maurice encouraged others to travel and explore the arts. He had a genuine love for all people and purposefully viewed the world with a wholistic lens and urged others to do the same.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to:

John Wesley A.M.E. Zion Church

349 E. Main Street

Uniontown, PA 15401

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