Vaughan Jay Oyler

Vaughan Jay Oyler passed away suddenly in Caledonia, Missouri on Tuesday, November 29, 2022 at age 45, at his home with his parents close by. His heart was too big for this world.

Vaughan was born in Tremonton, Utah to LaMar J. Oyler and Brenda Joy Balls Oyler. He was married to JaCoy Lee Wagstaff on August 14, 1998 at the Salt Lake City Utah Temple in a fairytale wedding, including a carriage. They were married for 12 years. Vaughan lived many different places during his life, including Northern Utah, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Missouri. He graduated from Bear River High School in 1998.

Vaughan, the fifth of seven children, was born with autism. Not a lot was known about this diagnosis back then. In fact, at the time, they said only 1 in 10,000 children had this disability. Learning to navigate autism was trying on the whole family. Vaughan didn’t speak a word until he was three. His mother, Brenda, would sing to him all the time. Everything from the alphabet to her favorite songs. Vaughan’s first utterance, at three, was singing all three verses of You Light Up My Life. To say the family was in shock is an understatement! His love of music helped him to learn and grow. His sister, Melanie, would call the radio station requesting they play one of his favorite songs, Celebrate by Kool and the Gang, repeatedly just for him.

He spent time at many specialized schools, including C–Bar-V Ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Vaughan was lucky enough to sometimes fly back and forth on a small four-seater airplane to visit home. He was part of the Special Olympics where he learned downhill skiing (his favorite), rock climbing, white-water rafting, and cross-country skiing, for starters. With all his different schools and teachers, the most amazing was Mrs. Francis Getz. She was able to help each of her students’ progress in school. She taught with love and knew better how to help a child with disabilities than any other teacher he had.

Vaughan loved to be active. While living in Deweyville, he was constantly asking to swim at the Tremonton Natatorium swimming pool, or he would walk to Crystal Hot Springs to soak in the hot pots. His willingness to get himself where he wanted to go, didn’t stop with swimming. He was well known in Arcadia Valley and Caledonia, MO. He could be seen walking, with his giant mug in hand, to the gas station for his daily soda fix. His sense of mischief was well-developed. Vaughan managed to “get” everyone with his pranks and teasing. In Deweyville, he was able to cover the kitchen floor with baby oil and made an indoor “slip-n-slide” for all the siblings to use. He also aspired to be an adult, which in his mind meant having a “man-belly”, shaving his head bald, wearing dentures and being married. He loved chasing the kids around the Academy with his dentures in hand to scare them and make them laugh. Anybody that knew Vaughan understood he was a storyteller and the longer you listened, the more he embellished. The more interest you showed, the more interesting the story became.

Besides his love for family, especially his mother, he had a special place in his heart for his puppies. Gidget, his first puppy, was loved deeply for eight years. Betsy, his most recent dog, was solely his and will be buried with him.

Vaughan had the tenderest heart and taught everyone he interacted with about having Christ-like love for others. He loved to give out big, warm hugs to everyone he knew.

Vaughan is survived by his parents, LaMar & Brenda Oyler, siblings Melanie (Jeff) Cooper, Janette (Doug) Woolley, (Heather) Oyler, LaRene (Robert) Ratliff, Lance (Amy) Oyler, and Katherine (Darwin) Rouse. He will be dearly missed by his many nieces & nephews and great-nieces & nephews. He was preceded in death by his brother Loren Oyler and grandparents.

Visitation will be held on Friday, December 2, 2022 from 4PM-7PM at the Moore Funeral Home in Potosi, Missouri.

Visitation (9AM-11AM) and funeral (11:30AM) will be held on Tuesday, December 6, 2022 at The Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints, 1450 East 1500 North, Logan, UT. Interment will take place at the Logan City Cemetery, 1000 North 1200 East, Logan, UT immediately following the funeral. The service will be livestreamed and may be accessed below.