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Death is nothing at
all. I have only slipped away into the next
room. I am I, and you are you. Whatever we
were to each other, that we still are. Call me by
my old familiar name, speak to me in the easy way which
you always used. Put no difference in your tone,
wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow. Laugh
as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed
together. Play, smile, think of me, pray for
me. Let my name be ever the household word that it
always was. Let it be spoken without effort,
without the trace of a shadow on it. Life means
all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever
was; there is unbroken continuity. Why should I be
out of mind because I am out of sight? I am
waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near,
just round the corner. All is well.
Henry Scott Holland
1847 - 1918
Canon of St. Paul's Cathedral |
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Arthur B. Taff
October 27, 1922 - July 1, 2003
The gentle soul of Arthur B.
Taff moved on to the greener pastures of heaven
Tuesday, July 1, 2003.
He was born in Cherokee, TX,
October 27, 1922, to Arthur & Fannie Taff and
was welcomed by his sister, Lou Beth.
After graduation from high school in
Childress, TX, he attended North Texas
Agricultural College until he joined the U.S. Army
Air Corps, where he was trained to be a bombardier.
As a 1st Lieutenant, he flew 30
missions with the 8th Air Force
stationed in England and returned for a second
tour of duty before being honorably discharged in
1945. |
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June 2, 1946, Art married
Billie Louise Taylor,
also from Childress. |
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Their
children Cindy, Trudy, Tim, and Steve taught him
unconditional love, patience, tolerance,
acceptance, and the ability to laugh at any and
all of life’s ups and downs.
They brought him pride and comfort and joy;
all of these attributes were then continued with
the birth of his granddaughters, Trudy’s girls,
Meghan, Kirstin, Erin, and Logan, all beautiful
young ladies now.
He loved quickly and deeply and relished
the times he had with them.
In
Childress, Art built, owned, and operated Taff
Frozen Food Locker.
In 1957, he moved with his family to the
Dallas area and settled in Lancaster, TX in 1958.
Employed by Safeway, Inc., he was a hard
worker, strong, steady, reliable, and never
complaining. |
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His home workshop became his
haven, adding tools and projects as interests and
needs arose. In
1988, a lifetime dream was culminated as Art and
Billie moved to the 3,000 SF home he built. Eight
years of continuously working nights and week-ends
once again showed his patience and fortitude.
Interior floors, walls, and ceilings were
pine, each piece hand-selected. The home on
20 acres in Ellis County became the center of his
life after retiring in 1986.
His love of quiet and solitude was often
charged by a visit from multitudes of friends and
family. |
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The sorrow of
ill health and the loss of home to a fire in March 2001
prompted a move back to Lancaster.
The last year he found a new life center, his
front porch. His
quiet gentleness was seen then by his new family of
neighbors, all of whom were by his side in his new home
when he drew his last peaceful breath.
He was a simple and gentle man, showing his true
character clearly during his last few weeks of struggle
for life. He
did not give up too easily.
We know there was a party in heaven when he
joined those he loved on the other side – Cindy, Mamma
and Pappa, Mike and Pat, all his buddies and friends –
but he left us to miss him and we will.
Billie, Trudy, Tim and Lynnette, Steve, Meghan,
Kirstin, Erin, and Logan, Lou Beth and extended family,
special friends and more friends, and his beautiful,
faithful Beauty.
Friends
are invited to visit the family at their home at their
convenience. A
tribute to his life will be held Sunday, July 6, 2003,
at 4:00 PM at the First Presbyterian Church of
Lancaster, followed by happy hour at the family home.
Memorials may be made to the First Presbyterian
Church of Lancaster, Lancaster Outreach Center, or to
your favorite animal shelter.
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For many years, Art loved
playing golf. |
Billie and Art enjoyed many hours
on the
dance floor. |
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50th Wedding Anniversary
Celebration |
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The Song of Victory
Rumi |
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When on the day of my
death you carry my bier,
Do not imagine my heart has remained in this world.
Do not weep over me, do not say, "How sad, how
sad!"
That would be tumbling into the Devil's trap, and that
would be sad.
When you see my corpse laid out, don't cry out, "He
has gone,"
For union and meeting will be mine forever.
As you lower me into my tomb, do not say,
"Farewell,"
For the tomb veils from us the union o f paradise.
My decline you have seen, now discover my soaring
ascent.
Can setting cause any harm to the sun or moon?
To you, my death seems a setting, but really it is dawn.
Does the tomb seem a prison to you? It is
the liberation of the soul.
Has any seed been sown in the earth that has not one day
flowered?
Why doubt? Man also is a buried seed.
What bucket would go down empty without being filled?
The spirit is like Joseph, would he complain of the
well?
Keep your mouth closed over here, to open it over there
So that beyond space may thrill your song of victory.
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Miss Me But Let Me Go
Author Unknown
When I come to
the end of the road
And the sun has set for me,
I want no rites in a gloom-filled room.
Why cry for a soul set free?
Miss
me a little, but not too long,
And not with your head bowed low.
Remember the love that we once shared.
Miss me, but let me go.
For
this is a journey we all must take,
And each must go alone.
It’s all a part of the Master’s Plan,
A step on the road to home.
When
you are lonely and sick of heart,
Go to the friends we know,
And bury your sorrows in doing good deeds
Miss me, but let me go.
This
beautiful poem was sent to the Taff family by dear
friends in Ireland, Alfie and Kitty Deehan. Alfie
is descended from the Taaffes of Ireland, who were the
ancestors of the Taffs in America.
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Click here
to sign our guestbook. Your comments will
be forwarded to the Taff family. Thank
you. |
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