Patrick Vaughan

Patrick J. Vaughan passed away peacefully at St. Patrick Hospital on August 17, 2025. He was born on November 16, 1943 in Chicago, the first child of Christopher and Bridie (Lennon) Vaughan. Raised on the South Side, Pat grew up in a tight-knit neighborhood centered around the local Catholic parish, and surrounded by Irish immigrants like his parents. His cherished childhood memories included Sunday outings with his large extended family - the Barrys, O’Connors and Nearys - summer vacations to Grand Beach, Michigan, and adventures around Chicago with his lifelong friends, Bob and Marty DeWelt.

After completing an apprenticeship to become a journeyman bricklayer, Pat spent his early career working on industrial construction projects throughout the Midwest. In 1966, he enlisted in the United States Navy’s Construction Battalion, the Seabees, and served for two years, including one year in Vietnam. His experiences during the war profoundly shaped his worldview and inspired a lifelong commitment to peace. He later had a long career in government service working in civil engineering and project design.

Upon returning home from Vietnam, Pat married Kathleen Moliter on July 19, 1969, in Spokane, Washington. They spent the early years of the marriage in Chicago before moving to Fircrest, Washington in 1975. Together, they raised three children, Katie, Steve, and Chris, and welcomed several foster children into their home.

In 1981, Pat and Kathy moved to a farm in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley, the former retirement homestead of Kathy’s grandparents. New to rural life, Pat and Kathy appreciated the aid and guidance of their neighbors in the Charlos Heights community. After several years on the farm, they settled in Hamilton in 1989. They relocated to Missoula in 2019.

Pat lived a life of deep service to his family, his faith, and his community. He spent every day finding new and different ways to express this. He and Kathy even uprooted their lives to spend two years living in Alexandria, Virginia to help take care of their granddaughters. Pat was also a devoted member of the Catholic Church and especially active in social justice efforts.

Anchored by a strong moral code, Pat was a fierce advocate for the vulnerable and believed in treating every person with dignity and respect. He was an early board chair of Haven House, one of Hamilton’s first support centers for the needy; served many years in parish leadership; launched weekly free community meals for those in need; and helped establish the Missoula chapter of Veterans for Peace. He was a strong supporter of the De La Salle Blackfeet School in Browning, and made multiple trips to the Helena Diocese mission church in Guatemala, applying his professional knowledge to help with mission infrastructure projects. He literally gave of himself, donating over 20 gallons of blood to the American Red Cross.

A voracious reader, Pat loved sharing books from his personal library. He cherished time outdoors and loved to hike in the Bitterroot’s. He found great joy in his weekly “meetings” with his Thursday night beer club, a gathering of his close friends. Pat had a gift for friendship and nurtured those connections with attention, care, and devotion.

Pat and Kathy made seven extended trips to Ireland, where they found great joy in connecting with beloved relatives and exploring the land that shaped his heritage. Pat carried his Irish identity with deep pride throughout his life. His cousins welcomed him with extraordinary warmth and generosity, for which we are profoundly grateful. As a final, touching tribute, they are adding a memorial in his honor to the family plot in the parish cemetery at Bridgetown, County Clare, near the Vaughan ancestral farm.

Pat was preceded in death by his parents; his mother-in-law, Mildred Moliter; his brothers-in-law, George Greener and Ron Chaney; and his sister-in-law, Laurie Greener Chaney. He is survived by his beloved wife, Kathy; his brother, Tom (Betty); his children, Katie (Michael Arnone), Steve (Tonya Kortuem), and Chris (Josie Norris); and his grandchildren, Nolan and Braden Vaughan, and Clare and Evelyn Arnone; his brothers and sisters-in-law Ray and Cindy Moliter, and Kris and Mike Franklin. He is also survived by his foster brother, Lester Sevaard, and foster daughter, Elizabeth Golding (Jeff), along with many cousins, nieces, nephews, and cherished friends.

To honor Pat’s memory, consider performing an act of service for someone in need, buying a book from an independent bookstore or checking one out from the library, spending time in nature, donating blood, or taking a ride on the Missoula bus, which he enjoyed riding all over town. These gestures reflect the values he lived by; commitment, education, compassion, generosity, integrity, humility, and simplicity.

A funeral Mass will be held in Missoula at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, August 29th at Blessed Trinity Catholic Church, 1475 Eaton. Interment with military honors will take place at Riverview Cemetery in Hamilton. Memorial donations may be made to: the De La Salle Blackfeet School, PO Box 1489, Browning, MT 59417 or at dlsbs.org, Soft Landing Missoula , or The Poverello Center, Missoula.