D. Harley Vaughan

Beloved by anyone who ever crossed his path, we celebrate the life of Donald Harley Vaughan, 85, after his passing Friday morning, August 7, 2026, at Piedmont Newnan Hospital. Born December 27, 1940, at Crawford Long Hospital, Harley grew up in the West End area of Atlanta, Georgia. There, he attended Connally Elementary and Brown High School. He was a proud alumnus and lifelong fan of Georgia Tech. Harley demonstrated a strong work ethic at his longtime employer, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Beginning as a teenager working in the mailroom at 17, he worked his way up through the ranks of the production department. He made a three-year detour to Arizona in his late thirties to overhaul the production process at another Cox Enterprise paper, the Mesa Tribune in Mesa, Arizona. He returned to the Atlanta papers, achieving his final title there as Vice President of Production as he oversaw the design of their new printing facilities in Gwinnett County. Harley's abiding passions were family, Georgia Tech, family, golf, family, and giving world-class advice to those he knew and loved. As a teenager, Harley married his first wife, Diane Bissell Bush, mother of his four children. In Arizona, he met and married his second wife, Jean Shappy. Back in Georgia, Harley married Diane Davison, who survives him. They were married for 34 loving years. The Celebration of Life is Sunday, August 9, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at the McKoon Funeral Home with visitation beginning at one o'clock. Memorial contributions may be made to the Georgia Institute of Technology endowment fund. He is survived by his children Carie Vaughan (Pat Delgado), Christy Barnhart (Charlie Waddy); and Scott Vaughan (Sabrina Vaughan); his grandchildren Harley Delgado, Jud Vaughan (Amelia), Spencer Vaughan, Dillon Barnhart (Megan), Cash Barnhart (Ashley), Destiny Barnhart (Michael), Rio Barnhart, Onyx Vaughan (Indigo), Kieran Vaughan, Zoe Vaughan, Karsen Vaughan, and Zara Vaughan - the one descendant who fulfilled his dreams by graduating from Georgia Tech - his great grandchildren Lewis Vaughan, Blakely Barnhart, Baylor Barnhart, Bo Barnhart, Jett Barnhart, Colt Barnhart, Wilder Wheeles, Roan Warr, Shine Warr, and Gray Vaughan. He is further survived by his siblings Larry Vaughan, Marcia Smith, Richard Vaughan, Ginger Sorrels, Jeannie Boskey, Darrel Vaughan, Mark Vaughan, Lynda Allen, and Sherry Stover, and numerous nieces and nephews. It's a big family! He is predeceased by his son Robin Vaughan, his parents Cecil Vaughan and Evelyn Cosby Vaughan, and his brothers David Vaughan and Philip Vaughan. Condolences may be expressed online at www.mckoon.com. McKoon Funeral Home & Crematory (770) 253-4580

D. Harley Vaughan

December 27, 1940 - August 7, 2026