James, Theresa G. 1955-2026 St. Joseph, Mo.
Theresa Gayle (Vaughn) James, 70, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and sister, passed away Feb. 2, 2026, in St. Joseph.
Theresa was born June 12, 1955, to Rosie (Fleshman) and Norman Vaughn Sr., in Maysville, Missouri. The second of nine children, Theresa attended school in Amity and Union Star, and graduated from Maysville High School, class of 1973.
On April 9, 1977, Theresa married her sweetheart, Gary “Butch” James, in St. Joseph. In their nearly 50 years together, the couple raised two children, Travis Leigh and Marly Rae. Their close-knit family was the foundation of a life well-lived, full of craft shows, sporting events, and more camping travels than they can count.
Theresa was a woman of many talents and interests. An extremely skilled seamstress, Theresa made many outfits throughout the years, including Halloween costumes, and even made the bridesmaid dresses for her wedding. Later in life, she found a love for photography, always behind her camera at family functions. She especially loved taking wildlife photography on their camping adventures, such as the moose and elk in Rocky Mountain National Park, and buffalo and bears in Yellowstone, and the eagles at Loess Bluffs. In addition, one of Theresa’s biggest, and longest running hobbies, was creating many different crafts for the Southside Fall Festival and Atchison Oktoberfest, where she had booths selling her goods for more than 30 years. Theresa’s career in the pharmacy at Kmart spanned over 34 years, where she met many friends and acquaintances.
One of Theresa’s greatest titles in life, however, was Happy – a name lovingly given by her grandchildren, who were the absolute light of her life.
Those left to continue Theresa’s legacy include: her husband, Butch; children, Travis (Sydney) James, and Marly (Jason) McCracken; grandchildren, Brock McCracken, Ava McCracken, Zeke Duncan, Colt McCracken, Hadley McCracken and Gemma James; her siblings, Ray Vaughn, Rick (Holly) Vaughn, Cary (Jammie) Vaughn, Kathy Allwood (Mark), Kay Vaughn, Sherrie (Moises) Vaughn, Dean (Misty) Vaughn and Scott Vaughn; and numerous nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.
Theresa was preceded in death by: her parents, Norman and Rosie; in-laws, Rufus and Selma James; and brothers-in-law, Mark Pierce and Greg Allwood.
Theresa fought a valiant battle with cancer, facing each day, treatment and obstacle with strength and determination. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to The Mosaic Life Care Cancer Center, in her honor.
Farewell Services and Public Livestream 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory. Interment Memorial Park Cemetery. The family will gather with friends 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6, Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory.
Online guest book and obituary at www.meierhoffer.com. As published in the St. Joseph News-Press.
