Thomas Steven Vaughn

Thomas Steven Vaughn, 33 of Summerville, South Carolina, peacefully passed away on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, at the Medical University of South Carolina, surrounded by his family.

He was born on September 28, 1990, at the Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake, NY, and was raised by his loving parents Robert & Heather Shaw (Thompson) and the late Steven Vassar, in Lake Placid, NY.

Thomas graduated from Lake Placid High School NY in 2008. He attended Clinton Community College in Plattsburgh, obtaining his Bachelor's Degree in criminal justice from SUNY Plattsburgh NY. Thomas was currently working as an Administrative & Clinical Operations Manager in the Department of Otolaryngology at the Medical University of South Carolina. He married the love of his life Craig in 2018, they spent 10 amazing years together building their life in Charleston, SC. 

Thomas was a bright light in all of our lives, someone who was always the life of the party. He lived his life so fully and authentically with no regrets, except there should've been many more years. He never met a stranger, and would stop everything he was doing to make sure his family & friends were taken care of. Thomas's last act of generosity and selflessness was his commitment through organ donation, giving others the gift of life.

Thomas is preceded in death by his father, Steven Thomas Vassar; grandfather, Robert Purdy; grandfather, Thomas George Vassar; and grandmother, Barbara Vassar.

Thomas is leaving behind family and friends who will cherish his memory forever. He is survived by his loving husband, Craig Vaughn and fur baby Reese; mother, Heather Shaw; bonus father, Robert Shaw; father-in-law, Leonard Vaughn; mother-in-law, Ann Vaughn; grandmother, Denise Purdy; grandmother, Deanna Bell; sisters: Amanda Jacques (Dan) Lauren Shaw and Sarah Lincoln; brothers: Justin Vassar, Steven Vassar and Nicholas Shaw; brothers-in-law, Bryan Vaughn (Sherri) and Matthew Vaughn (Brittany); nieces & nephews: Zoe and Zane Vaughn, Landon and Grayson Jacques, and Skyler, Kaelyn, and Olivia Vaughn; aunts: Tammy Leon, Nicole Fitzgerald (Ty) and Brittany Purdy, and so many friends who are like family.

The family will receive friends to celebrate Thomas's life at their home in Watson Hill Summerville, SC on a later date, to be announced.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Charleston Animal Society.

Expressions of sympathy may be viewed or submitted online at mcalister-smith.com/.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to McAlister-Smith Funeral and Cremation, 2501 Bees Ferry Road, Charleston, SC 29414, (843) 722-8371.