Donald Taylor
"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." Revelation 21:4, KJV)
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A Marine is chosen by God.
He is chosen because he lives, sacrifices and dies for others. He is committed to the cause of freedom and he surrenders to no one but God.
His commitment to his family is linked to his commitment to his Country and his Community because he helps to build the foundation for which they live.
“Semper Fi” – “Always Faithful,” is the motto of Marines – and certainly goes without question of this Marine and the way in which he lived his life, as he has stood by his family, Country and Community through thick and thin during his lifetime.
I have known Marines from multiple generations but I have had the personal privilege to know, love, and be loved by a Man that would surpass anyone’s expectations of what an Uncle should be.
Uncle Donald was, is, and always will be remembered as a Great Husband, a Great Father, a Great Uncle, and a Great Marine. He never gave up his colors, and over the years, he has taught me what those colors mean. He showed me that Tenacity is not something he wished for, but was a gift from our heavenly father; Respect was something that you developed during your lifetime for all things of life, and of people; and that Integrity is something which means that you will do the “Right thing, whether anyone is watching or not.”
Donald Taylor, being born Feb 1921, became a great Husband, Father, Brother, Uncle, Friend, and Mentor because of the fact that he was a Great Marine! Uncle Donald once told me that there are only Good Marines and Great Marines; and with some objection from Uncle Donald, I would have to say that he was one of those Great Marines. He lived his life for his family and Community during these last years of his life - maybe not in a physical way, but surely in his heart, mind and spirit.
Sometimes when I visited, we would talk about Politics, Family, and even a few times he would talk to me about his part of the War. Donald was not very open to talking about the war with many people, but sparingly he entrusted me with a few of his ventures and of the wisdoms he learned of during his time in ‘The Corps,” and many of his years here in Matewan.
During one of our talks I told Uncle Donald that, “I wished I could have served with you; I would have been so proud to stand beside you as a brother Marine.” He glared back at me and said, “Son, you have served with me; through the Corps. We have all been to hell and back, and you have shown the integrity of the best Marines I ever served with.” Although I have only known OF the Marines of Uncle Donald’s era, I knew exactly what he meant and I cannot tell you how special those words made me feel – Semper Fi’ Uncle Donald.
There was so much more to many of those conversations, but I believed them to be trusted conversations then, so they will remain so, forever.
My relationship with Uncle Donald runs very deep. I remember the story of how Uncle Donald saved my life when I was just 2 years of age. Donald’s younger Sister; my mother Ruby Taylor, was unable to locate my father when I took extremely ill, so Donald immediately answered my mother’s call for help and he immediately took us to the Hospital. They were told, “Had Uncle Donald not responded to my mother’s call, I would surely have died that evening”; thank you Uncle Donald.
Over the 90 years of his life, Uncle Donald has always provided for his immediate and extended families. Just recently, we had our Family Reunion in August 2011, during this visit home my mother and her brother Donald had some time to visit and reminisce about their lives. I discovered that Uncle Donald had been the one to pay for ALL his sister’s wedding dresses with money he earned while working in the Matewan Pool Hall. Only at that time did I realize just how the people of those earlier times, of this community were hurting and could not afford much, but Uncle Donald found a way to take care of his family with what he had, and he did it right.
There are I am sure many stories that exist between many of you and my Uncle Donald, and endearing as they are, I know they will be with you forever.
I know that many times Donald was made aware of his many blessing and of the many times he has surely stared death square in the face; you know with all those times of cheating death, the Lord must have finally figured out he was going to have to sneak up on this Marine to take him home. God Bless you Uncle Donald.
We have all heard the words Semper Fi’ from Marines, and others; but many still do not know what it truly means. Semper Fi' comes from the Latin words; “Semper Fidelis” which means “Always Faithful,” and I cannot find other words that describe my Uncle Donald more accurately.
Donald’s qualities of life are evident in his family life that he had with his lovely wife Irene, their children and Grandchildren. It is not just family that Donald has influenced in this way, but all of you here in this gathering; Donald’s love for his family was very strong, and he always talked about how blessed he was to have such an incredible family. Believe me he would tell everyone, even strangers standing in line with him at the grocery store or at the post office. This is how he introduced me to a cousin that I had never met until that day at the N. Matewan Post Office with him back in 2004; Jerry DeHart and I now talk whenever I'm able to call back home.
We also know Donald to be of light heart, bright spirited and full of laughs. He really did not put much thought into what people thought of him because he assumed the best in everyone. He did not pass judgment on others and so it was difficult to pass judgment against him. This is a tenant of God that Donald seemed to effortlessly adhere.
So, while today we reflect with a smile on the many memories we have of Uncle Donald, of the many of you that knew and loved him; Uncle Donald would describe himself as a simple man that clung to his guns and his Bible, and of course taking care of his family.
There are so many stories that could be told about Uncle Donald and I am sure you will hear many more. Each time I visited or talked to Uncle Donald on the phone, I realized that almost every story I could remember or one that was told to me about him brought a huge smile to my face. Although we may be sad today for losing Uncle Donald’s physical presence, we need to remember that it was Uncle Donald’s personality and his love for laughter that he would want us to remember here today – Uncle Donald would want us to celebrate his graduation of life; His homecoming to Heaven.
A Quote:
"When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. ~ Kahlil Gibran
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I was going to deliver this Eulogy for Uncle Donald at his Church Service, but with him lying there, so close to the podium, this Marine was just not able to muster up what it took to deliver it in person. So with a broken heart, I can only hope that the rest of his loving family and friends will accept this Eulogy in this light.
I am so thankful for my memories of Uncle Donald, and honestly, putting these words down was one of the most difficult things I think I have ever done. Not because it was hard to find things to say about Uncle Donald, but to recall his life as I knew it, and his impact on me, and of course all of you, simply made it difficult and trivial to try to summarize such a great man in just a few minutes.
Right now, I can hear Uncle Donald’s voice in the back of my head saying;
“Paul, a simple “Semper Fi,” Will do.”
Semper Fi’ Uncle Donald - I love you and already miss your physical presence in my world.
You are missed, but will never be forgotten Marine.
