KRAY, Vaughn F.

KRAY, Vaughn F. (Morrison, IL, May 27, 1951--Dubuque, IA, July 31, 2014). The son of Frank and Anne (Letschka) Kray, Vaughn's family finally settling in Dubuque where his father established HRUSKA-KRAY PHOTOGRAPHERS. He married Elaine DuHack on March 1, 2002.

In 1969 Vaughn graduated from DUBUQUE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL. He attended UW-Platteville and the UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE and served in the U.S. Air Force receiving an honorable discharge in 1972. Upon his father's passing, Vaughn took over the photography business which was located at 1135 Main Street in downtown Dubuque. By his estimate, Vaughn photographed over 1,400 weddings, took thousands of Senior High and family portraits, and did commercial photography for companies including John Deere, Ertl, and the DUBUQUE PACKING COMPANY. He became a Certified Professional Photographer in 1988.

Vaughn earned an Associate's Degree in Electronic Technology in 1990 from Hamilton Technical College in Davenport. He made a career change to apply his skills in the gaming business, joining the Casino Belle and Mississippi Belle II, and later the Silver Eagle.

Vaughn was a lifelong musician. He began playing drums professionally in junior high. He played in manybands, including The Dark Side, Butter Scotch Grove ("The Grove"), touring the Midwest in a converted school bus during the late 1960s, and Phase III, who performed every weekend during the ski season at Chestnut Mountain Resort. Later in life he was instrumental in reuniting some of these bands while on the steering committee for Rock & Roll Rewind.

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Obituaries. Dubuque Today by the Dubuque Advertiser