Zed Farris DeVaughan, Jr. was born February 4, 1935, to Zed Farris, Sr. and Ilma Flora (McCarty) DeVaughan in Binger, OK.  He passed away Friday June 2, 2023, at Mercy Hospital in Oklahoma City, OK at the age of 88.  Zed graduated as the Valedictorian of the class of 1953 at Binger High School.

     He proudly served his country as a member of the U.S. Air Force from 1958 to 1959.   After his time of active duty he continued his service in the Army National Guard and later in the U.S. Army Reserves.  Zed was promoted to Full Colonel in 1982.  He served as platoon leader, company commander battalion S2, S3, S4, and group executive officer during his military career.   Zed received his Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Vocational Technical Education and Education Administration from Oklahoma State University during these years as well.

      Zed took his passion for educating the next generation very seriously.  He began his career in education as a teacher of vocational agriculture, natural sciences, and physical education in Cooperton, OK from 1957 to 1958.   After his stent of active duty he returned to public school education as a science teacher and high school wrestling coach in Cushing, OK in 1959.  In 1963 Zed relocated to Oklahoma City where he took a job as assistant high school wrestling coach and science teacher at John Marshall High School for a couple of years.  In 1967 he taught rural sciences and coached at Cassidy before taking a position as assistant principal and head wrestling coach at Eisenhower Junior High.  He worked there from 1967-1972.  Zed worked in the Vo-Tech schools from 1974-2000.  While he worked to impart his accumulation of knowledge and experience in this new setting, Zed served as Co-Director of two National EPDA 53 Projects which worked to improve state systems of Vocational Education and Personnel development.  He served as the coordinator of ten state teacher extern projects.  He also served on several national personnel development projects.   He worked with principals and superintendents in Tulsa and Oklahoma City Public Schools to solve many vocational education issues.  He served as Adjunct Professor in the School of Occupational and Adult Education at Oklahoma State University for more than 25 years. He was a member of Graduate Faculty at Oklahoma University and had taught proposal writing and Leadership Development for OU at Spangdahlem Germany and at AFCENT in the Netherlands and Italy in the 80’s and 90’s.  While at the Oklahoma Department of Vo-Tech Education he served as coordinator of Civil Rights Compliance, Administrative Intern and Graduate Assistant, Assistant State Coordinator in the Employment of Training Division, Assistant State Coordinator of the area Vo-Tech Schools Division, Assistant to the State Director, Coordinator of Personnel.  He served as Regional Administrator for the Oklahoma Department of Vocational and Technical Education at the time of his retirement.

     Zed was a proud member of Alpha Gamma Rho in Stillwater. He was also a member of the Oklahoma Vocational Association, Phi Delta Kappa, Oklahoma Council or Local Administrators, Reserve Officers Association, Oklahoma State Alumni Association, Stillwater Chamber of Commerce, Cushing Masonic Lodge, and Stillwater Country Club. He served as President of the Stillwater Exchange Club, Oklahoma District Exchange Club, and member of the United Way Board of Directors.  He was a member of the Board of Directors of Oklahoma Educators Hall of Fame. Zed served as Liaison Officer for West Point and Army ROTC.  He was named on the Who’s Who Oklahoma list.  In his free time Zed enjoyed golfing, sports, and art.  Zed spent nearly every day for 30 years on a golf course. He pursued golf as passionately as he did his career.  He shot two holes in one in his lifetime; hole number 14 at Stillwater Golf and Country Club and hole number 6 at Oaktree National in Edmond.    

     Zed is survived by his son, Blake DeVaughan and wife My of Oklahoma City, OK and three siblings, Bob DeVaughan and wife Elsa of Boston, MA, Darlene Wilson of Lookeba, OK and Darwin DeVaughan and wife Linda of Binger, OK.  He was preceded in death by his parents, Zed, Sr. and Ilma DeVaughan, wife Judy (Smalley)DeVaughan and five siblings, Naomi Fissell, J.C. DeVaughan, Royce DeVaughan, and Johnnie DeVaughan and Beryl DeVaughan.

In lieu of flowers please make donations in Zed's memory to Alzheimer's Association,  www.alz.org 

Services: Come and go viewing and visitation, 1-3PM, Wednesday, June 7, 2023, Hinton Turner Funeral Home Chapel. Services under the direction of Turner Funeral Home, Hinton, OK.