Mary Helen Vaughan

On November 4, 2026, Mrs. Mary Helen Vaughan of Laurel, Mississippi, entered the presence of her Savior in the realms of glory. She was 88 years old. Memory Chapel of Laurel, MS and Benton Funeral Home of Fordyce, AR are entrusted with her funeral arrangements.

The daughter of Spencer Lawrence Gordon, II, and Minnie Mae Roark Gordon-Mays, Mary Helen was born in Camden, Arkansas, on February 15, 1938. After accepting Christ as her Savior in 1947 during the revival ministry of Evangelist Otto Sullivan, she became an ardent and devoted member of First Baptist Church of Camden. Through Calvary Baptist Church, one of First Baptist’s mission churches, she met her lifelong sweetheart, Billy Alfred Vaughan. The two were married shortly after her high school graduation. Their union was blessed with four children.

Mary Helen’s spiritual gift was service. Throughout their long marriage, she faithfully supported her husband as he served in Japan with the United States Air Force, attended Ouachita Baptist College in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, and served nearly three decades as a minister of music in churches throughout Arkansas and Mississippi. Among the special joys of her Christian service was teaching the three- and four-year-old children’s choir on Wednesday evenings at First Baptist Church of Laurel.

While her children were young, Mary Helen pursued several home-based business ventures and briefly served as a reading tutor for the Columbus Municipal School District. Once all four of her children reached school age, she worked as a secretary and bookkeeper for Wildwood Baptist Church and Garrick Electric Company, both in Laurel, Mississippi.

Mary Helen delighted in opening her home to family and friends, frequently hosting gatherings and special occasions. Her many interests included crocheting, sewing, cross-stitching, ceramics, gardening, and collecting recipes—which she often enjoyed adapting and improving.

Perhaps Mary Helen’s longest and most significant season of service began in 1989, following her husband’s debilitating stroke. For more than 30 years, she served as his constant, devoted, and faithful caregiver. For 13 of those years, she also provided long-distance care for her mother, demonstrating the extraordinary depth of her love and commitment to family.

Throughout these years, Mary Helen remained deeply involved in the lives of her children and grandchildren. She especially cherished the annual Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings, when she welcomed her entire family into her home. These treasured traditions continued until 2013, when she suffered a stroke that left her disabled.

Mary Helen was preceded in death by her parents, Spencer Lawrence Gordon, II, and Minnie Mae Gordon-Mays; her beloved husband of 68 years, Billy; her sister, Betty Ruth Gordon Keller, and brother-in-law, Robert Keller; her brother, Spencer Lawrence Gordon, III; and her great-grandson, David Michael Dunavent.

She is survived by her four children: Deborah Stoulig of Brandon, Mississippi; Michael Vaughan (Rhonda) of Morton, Mississippi; Victoria Coats (Daryl) of Gitano, Mississippi; and Billy Vaughan, Jr. (Andrea) of Avondale, Arizona. She also leaves behind 17 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, with two more expected, and a host of beloved nieces and nephews.

The Vaughan family extends its heartfelt gratitude to all those who provided quality care for their mother in her home, as well as the nursing staff, therapists, and others at Jones County Rest Home who cared for her with compassion and kindness.

A graveside service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at Salem Cemetery in Bearden, Arkansas.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made in Mary Helen’s honor to the Billy Vaughan Memorial Worship Leadership Endowed Scholarship at William Carey University in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Arrangements by Benton Funeral Home in Fordyce.