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Mary Vaughan Obituary
December 19, 1929 January 7, 2024
Carmel Polly Vaughan, 94, of Bakersfield, California passed away peacefully in Carmel, CA in the presence of her family.
Polly was born in San Diego, CA to Murney Mintzer and Ethel Dummer. Murney graduated from the US Naval Academy and served and fought in WWI and WWII as a Commander while Ethel was the principal of Francis Parker school in San Diego. Polly received her bachelor's degree in Geography from Stanford University where she met and married her husband of 64 years, Dick Vaughan who received a master's degree in geology after serving in the navy in WWII.
They moved to Bakersfield in 1956 where Dick worked for Franco Western Oil Company before becoming the first geologist hired by the newly reformed Occidental Petroleum (OXY) which started with three total employees in 1959. With some early exploration success in northern California Dick was sent to Libya where modest OXY from Bakersfield would discover some 4.5 billion barrels of oil in 1965. Polly and the family moved to Libya during this exciting time to join Dick for some months. Their closest lifelong friends were all OXY folks. Polly would go on to be elected to the Kern County High School board as she raised her two children. Polly and Dick retired to Jackson Hole, WY in 1991 where they fished, hiked skied and made many new friends until they moved to Carmel Valley in 2010. They made great friends at the Carmel Valley Manor and were surrounded by some wonderful people they knew in the final years of their lives.
Polly was preceded in death by Dick in 2020 and is survived by daughter Carolyn Vaughan and husband John Massucco, son Jeff and wife Jenny and grandchildren Ali and Jackson Vaughan.
In lieu of a service, the family asks that you raise a glass to Polly for a life well lived.
www.bakersfield.com/obits
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Memories and Condolences
for Mary Vaughan
1 Entry
Cathy Schreiber
May 1, 2024
Carolyn and Jeff and family, I just learned that your Mom had recently passed. So many wonderful memories of her and your Dad both in La Jolla and Jackson. My condolences on your loss and big hugs to you both. Cathy (Wyer) Schreiber
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