Jimmie Vaughan (McAninch) Upham
Jimmie Vaughan (McAninch) Upham, age 80, passed away peacefully at home on March 24th surrounded by her family.
Jimmie was born to James Walter and Ada C. McAninch in Blackwell, OK on 11 December 1940. The second of seven siblings, she grew up in Tonkawa, OK, and received a BA in American history from Oklahoma City University in 1962. She met a young Army officer, Robert Wayland Upham, Jr. (known to all as Bob), from Rumford, RI, on a blind date to a fish fry. They were married three months later on 11 August, 1963. She followed her husband to duty stations that included Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Texas; Maryland; New York; Maryland (again); Okinawa, Japan; Washington State, and Rhode Island; before retiring to Grand Lake Stream, Maine to garden, canoe, and substitute teach. She served as a town councilwoman, was involved in many environmental and Resource Management groups, and was instrumental in the foundation of the Downeast Lakes Land Trust. In 2008, the trust, with Jimmie as its treasurer, conserved 342,000 acres of pristine lakes and forest in Maine for the fundraised sum of $32 million (see downeastlakes.org).
In 2013, she and Bob moved to Fallon, NV to be closer to family. In Fallon, she enjoyed attending Churchill Arts Council performances, attending Epworth United Methodist church services, and knitting with the group of ladies that met at the Churchill Library.
She is survived by her sisters: Sharon Roth (Gary) of Tonkawa, OK; Janet Humphrey of Springdale, AR; and brothers: Mike McAninch (Dorothy) of Tonkawa, OK; Joe McAninch (Patricia) of Meridian, TX; and Kent McAninch (Judy) of Tonkawa, OK. She has three children: Villette Samantha “Sam” Thorpe (Mark) of Ypsilanti, MI; James Nelson “Zip” Upham (Nancy) of Fallon, NV; and Ada Vaughan Upham of Fallon, NV. She has two grand children, Rachel Thorpe (Chris Barnes) and Jace Thorpe, both of Chicago, IL. She leaves behind two black labs, Roddy and Rowan.
In addition, Jimmie was survived by nephews: James Roth (Janine), Joel Roth (Marcie Shoulders), Casey McAninch (Jill) – all of Tonkawa, OK; Scott Humphrey of Springdale, AR; Michael Humphrey (Emily) of Webb City, MO; and Chris Roth (Shannon) of Norman, OK. Nieces included: Theresa McAninch (Brian Lane), Tonkawa, Julie Johnson (Jack) of Boynton Beach, FL; and Joanna Stewart (Justin) of Springdale, AR.
She is predeceased by: husband, Bob; sister, Teresa Ann McAninch; brother-in-law, Bill Humphrey; nephew, John Roth; and niece, Kelly McAninch. Jimmie’s ashes will be interred in the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Fernley with her husband. The family will hold a memorial gathering at a future date and suggests that in lieu of flowers, donations to Epworth United Methodist Church in her memory are appropriate.