Lt. Col. William L. “Smoke” DeVaughan, U.S. Army (Ret.) of Statesville, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018, at the age of 75 after a long illness.
He is survived by his sons, Alan (Lynne) DeVaughan and Colin DeVaughan of St. Louis, Mo.; and grandchildren, Mark DeVaughan and Amy DeVaughan. He was preceded in death by his sister, Sherrow DeVaughan of Alexandria, Va.; and half sister, Ida Jo Rimes of Wilsonville, Ala.
Bill earned degrees from both Davidson College (B.S., Chemistry) and Vanderbilt University (M.A., Sociology), and then traveled the globe in his capacity as a Chemical Officer in the U.S. Army. He earned many decorations, including a Bronze Star during his tour in Vietnam in the early 1970s.
After retiring from military service in the late 1980s, he returned to North Carolina and was active with multiple veterans groups, including his local VFW chapter and Rolling Thunder. He made multiple trips to visit his fallen brothers and sisters at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C., and wrote extensively on issues affecting veterans.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019, at 2 p.m., at Bunch-Johnson Funeral Home in Statesville. Lt. Col. DeVaughan will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Welcome Home Veterans in Mooresville.