Taylor Funeral Home

Taylor Funeral Home John H. Taylor Funeral Home & Cremation Services is dedicated to providing compassionate, dignified, affordable, personalized services.

Independent, family-owned and operated. Member of WVFDA and NFDA
www.taylorfuneralhomeinc.com Member of WVFDA and NFDA. www.taylorfuneralhomeinc.com
Phone: 304-927-1540
Toll-free 1-800-927-1540
Fax: 304-927-1690

The season can be anything but joyful for those who have lost loved ones, especially close to Christmas time. Stay in t...
12/15/2025

The season can be anything but joyful for those who have lost loved ones, especially close to Christmas time. Stay in touch with friends and family. Our thoughts are with you.

Today, December 12, is...NATIONAL POINSETTIA DAYA bit of trivia...Poinsettias and Christmas...why? Did you know...Poins...
12/12/2025

Today, December 12, is...
NATIONAL POINSETTIA DAY

A bit of trivia...Poinsettias and Christmas...why? Did you know...

Poinsettia plants are native to Central America, especially an area of southern Mexico known as 'Taxco del Alarcon' where they flower during the winter. The ancient Aztecs called them 'cuetlaxochitl'. The Aztecs had many uses for them including using the flowers (actually special types of leaves known as bracts rather than being flowers) to make a purple dye for clothes and cosmetics and the milky white sap was made into a medicine to treat fevers. (Today we call the sap latex!)

The poinsettia was made widely known because of a man called Joel Roberts Poinsett (that's why we call them Poinsettia!). He was the first Ambassador from the USA to Mexico in 1825. Poinsett had some greenhouses on his plantations in South Carolina, and while visiting the Taco area in 1828, he became very interested in the plants. He immediately sent some of the plants back to South Carolina, where he began growing the plants and sending them to friends and botanical gardens.

One of the friends he sent plants to was John Barroom of Philadelphia, who gave the plant to his friend, Robert Buist, a plants-man from Pennsylvania. Robert Buist was probably the first person to have sold the poinsettias under their botanical, or latin name, name 'Euphorbia pulcherrima' (it means, 'the most beautiful Euphorbia'). It is thought that they became known as Poinsettia in the mid 1830's when people found out who had first brought them to America from Mexico.

There is an old Mexican legend about how Poinsettia's and Christmas come together, it goes like this:

There was once a poor Mexican girl called Pepita who had no present to give the the baby Jesus at the Christmas Eve Services. As Pepita walked to the chapel, sadly, her cousin Pedro tried to cheer her up.
'Pepita', he said "I'm sure that even the smallest gift, given by someone who loves him will make Jesus Happy."

Pepita didn't know what she could give, so she picked a small handful of weeds from the roadside and made them into a a small bouquet. She felt embarrassed because she could only give this small present to Jesus. As she walked through the chapel to the altar, she remembered what Pedro had said. She began to feel better, knelt down and put the bouquet at the bottom of the nativity scene. Suddenly, the bouquet of weeds burst into bright red flowers, and everyone who saw them were sure they had seen a miracle. From that day on, the bright red flowers were known as the 'Flores de Noche Buena', or 'Flowers of the Holy Night'.

The shape of the poinsettia flower and leaves are sometimes thought as a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem which led the Wise Men to Jesus. The red colored leaves symbolize the blood of Christ. The white leaves represent his purity.

12/11/2025

Virgil Edward Parsons, 84, of Newton, went home to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Monday, December 8, 2025, just 20 days after the passing of his beloved wife. He was born April 4, 1941, at Sissonville, the son of the late Squire Enos and Maysel Josephine

12/11/2025

Judy Lewellen Griffin, 80, of Reedy, West Virginia, passed away at her home on Sunday, Dec. 7, following complications from rapidly declining health. Born June 14, 1945, in Mt. Gilead, Ohio, to Frank and Beulah Clark, she moved to Roane County at a young age and lived on Middle Fork

12/09/2025

Carolyn Sue Atkins, 77, of Spencer, W.Va., died Monday, December 8, 2025, at home. She was born July 17, 1948, at Reedy, W.Va., the daughter of the late Gerald Elijah and Della Mae Bumgarner Waggoner. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a brother, Eugene Waggoner

12/08/2025

Thomas Edward Canterbury, 70, of Gandeeville, W.Va., died Sunday December 7, 2025 at home. He was born April 18, 1955, at Clendenin, W.Va., the son of Verda Faye Anderson Canterbury of Clendenin and the late William Edward Canterbury. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a

12/08/2025

Rodney Gene Paxton, 76, of Spencer, W.Va., passed away Saturday, December 6, 2025, at home. He was born September 2, 1949, at Kettle, Roane County, the son of the late Otis and Delma Jones Paxton. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a granddaughter, Allison Allie

🔴 Everyone, please be careful and stay safe if you have to be out and about!
12/08/2025

🔴 Everyone, please be careful and stay safe if you have to be out and about!

Lest we forget... Pearl Harbor 12/7/1941. USS West Virginia burning and sinking. The mast of the USS West Virginia on ...
12/07/2025

Lest we forget... Pearl Harbor 12/7/1941. USS West Virginia burning and sinking. The mast of the USS West Virginia on the WVU campus.

12/06/2025

Freddie Allen Fred Greathouse, 82, of Spencer, passed away Friday, December 5, 2025, at Hubbard Hospice House, Charleston. He was born December 3, 1943, at Spencer, the son of the late Ewell Simmons and Nola Mae Starcher Greathouse. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by brothers,

12/03/2025

Nellie Agnes Aggie Parrill, 95, of Marietta, formerly of Spencer, died Tuesday, December 2, 2025, at Waterview Pointe, Marietta. She was born August 6, 1930, in Parkersburg, the daughter of the late Freeman Clarence and Dora Opal Cunningham Merritt. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in de...

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406 Market Street
Spencer, WV
25276

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+13049271540

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