Obituary: Elizabeth Jean Vaughan Faris

Elizabeth Jean Vaughan Faris left this world on November 2, 2025. She was born the second of five children to John and Nina Vaughan on August 1, 1959, in Creston, Iowa.
Elizabeth grew up in Orient, Iowa, and graduated from Orient-Macksburg High School in 1978. After high school, she attended Southwestern Community College in Creston, where she earned a clerical degree and met her future husband, Rodney Lee Faris.
Elizabeth and Rodney married on June 2, 1979, and moved to a farm northeast of Mount Ayr, Iowa, where they lived and farmed together for 46 years.
Together, Elizabeth and Rodney had three children, Michael James, Richard Joel, and Justin Ray. Elizabeth was a big part of her children’s lives, supporting them in 4-H and FFA projects, attending school events, volunteering for extracurricular activities, and more. After her children started school, Elizabeth began working at Small’s Corral, followed by Clearview Nursing Home, Dollar General, and Mount Ayr Health Care. Elizabeth retired in 2024.
Family was a big part of Elizabeth’s life. She enjoyed spending time with her five grandchildren, helping to plan family reunions, researching family histories and genealogy, and traveling to visit extended family in West Virginia and Colorado. She was a loving and generous mother, wife, grandmother, aunt, and cousin to many.
Her strong Christian faith was also an important aspect of Elizabeth’s life. She was an active member of the First Christian Church since moving to Mount Ayr, she often participated in fundraising and philanthropic events through the Church, including the Operation Christmas program to deliver Christmas gifts for children in need. Elizabeth was also active in the quilting community and enjoyed attending quilting retreats.
Elizabeth was preceded in death by her father John Vaughan and his partner Lois Reedy, Mother Nina Vaughan, mother-in-law Martha Faris, father-in-law Lee Faris, sister-in-law Jackie Vaughan, brother-in-law John Roger Faris, and nephews William Turner and Trent Stewart.
Left to celebrate Elizabeth’s memory are husband Rodney; sons Michael, Richard (Neva), and Justin; grandchildren Sawyer, Wilson, Hollen, Lindsay, and Nicholas; sisters Ellen Marchant of Linden, Iowa, Eva Burget of Hampstead, Maryland, and Eileen (Darrel) Turner of Alco, Arkansas; brothers Clarence Vaughan of Earlham, Iowa, and Jared (Jennifer) James of Corning, Iowa; sisters-in-law Jackie (Russ) Stewart of Mount Ayr, Iowa, and Jennifer (Shawn) Byrd of Mount Ayr, Iowa; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. Services were held 10:30 a.m. Saturday, November 8, 2025, at the First Christian Church in Mount Ayr with Rev Rodney Glazebrook officiating. Casket bearers were Joe Vaughan, Tim Mooney, Russ Stewart, Dorrel Turner, Shawn Byrd, Larry Opfer, and Kevin Faris.
Honorary Pallbearers Sawyer Faris, Wilson Faris, Hollen Faris, Lindsay Faris, Nicholas Faris. Burial was in Rose Hill Cemetery. A memorial fund has been established in her name for the family to decide. Armstrong Funeral Home in Mount Ayr was in charge of the arrangements.