H. Vaughan Belcher

BELCHER, Henry Vaughan, 96, of Ellicott City, Maryland, devoted husband, loving father, grandfather, great grandfather, and faithful friend died peacefully at home on January 11, 2025.

Known as Vaughan or Doc to all his friends and PawPaw to his adoring grandchildren he set an example for his family to follow. A reserved man of reason, he was wise, patient, trustworthy, generous, kind and fun-loving.

Vaughan was born in Richmond, Virginia to Dr. Job Oscar Belcher and Harriette Vaughan Belcher. He graduated from the University of Virginia and earned his Medical Degree from the Medical College of Virginia. During his first military duty after his internship, he served as the lone doctor on one of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands where he successfully battled a polio epidemic. He returned to Virginia and a career in the U.S. Public Health Service and later as Assistant Professor of Surgery at Johns Hopkins. He was Certified by the American Board of Surgery, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and a member of the Baltimore Academy of Surgery and the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons, (SAGES).

A golfer with a hole-in-one under his belt and a trumpet player in a jazz band, Vaughan was happiest outdoors. Above all his hobbies he was most enthusiastic about fishing and hunting with his friends and his son where he had many memorable adventures.

He was preceded in death by his wife Margaret Duncan Belcher and survived by his daughter, Elizabeth Duncan Blake, son Robert Allan Belcher and his wife Chris, his three grandchildren Amanda Belcher Schiavino, Sara Lindsley Blake and Emily Vaughan Metz, and his four great-grandchildren.

The family would like to express heartfelt gratitude to all of his devoted caregivers - especially his faithful and adored caregiver Margaret Kazini and his prior caregiver and buddy Rachael Summers. They brought comfort, laughter, and companionship in his last years. Their unwavering support and love will never be forgotten.

A Memorial Gathering will be held for his kind friends at the Harry H. Witzke’s Family Funeral Home, Inc. at 4112 Old Columbia Pike in Ellicott City, Maryland, on February 5, from 1pm-2pm. The family will have a private interment later at Colonial Grove Memorial Park in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the charity of your choice or to the H. Vaughan and Margaret D. Belcher Scholarship at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine (#M 30091) and enjoy spending time with your loved ones.