I am Velma Katherine (Cewilla) Osborne Taylor and I would like to tell you a little about......."ME" I was born on a small farm in Terrell, Texas to the union of Jesse James and Mae Eva Osborne, with an ‘E.’ of the eleven children born to them I was number three. My birthday is November 20, 1932. I am the daughter of a sharecropper -- a fact that may surprise many of you! All of my family and friends back home in Terrell called me ‘Teedy’. I received my education at W. H. Burnett School. It was K–12, housing the almost grown as well as the peewees ~ all under one roof. In my early teens I professed my faith in Jesus Christ at Shiloh Baptist Church. Daddy wasn’t an educated man but, amazingly, he could read and break down the Bible to us with ease. He was a master mechanic ~ able to fix anything with a motor. Momma was a school teacher and you can believe she made sure we got our lessons! In 1948 I was united in holy matrimony to William Taylor. Most people knew him best as ‘Dickie’. To this union was born Susie Ann (called Suzanne or Sue). And what do you know? During August of 1951, we packed our bags and moved to Saint Louis, Missouri. Several months later we added Carolyn Jean to the family. After a couple more years here’s Robert (Bobby), and then Anthony (Tony) became part of the family. And that is the start of the lineage of ‘Me’! Five and six years enter Earl (Levi) and Keith (little Chew). Along comes Edward (dubbed ‘Peanut’ by big sister Sue because he was a preemie when born!). And then there is the ‘Old Man’ the ‘professor’ Orlando. My dream was always to have three girls and three boys. Well the good Lord saw fit to multiply my wish for three boys by two. Just when I thought I would not get girl number three, along came Francine ~ known to most as Franny. Me and my kids have lived all over Saint Louis’ North Side, from Sheridan (our first home as husband and wife after moving to St. Louis) to St. Ferdinand where I met my first and life-long friend Larcenia Hubbard. Do you know that to this day, our children still call each other cousin and me and Larcenia are auntie – sho’ nuf’! Back to being a nomad on the North Side, we lived in flats on Belt, Page, Elmbank and at 2806 North Sarah. Our first HOUSE was on Vine Grove!!! We were all elated to finally have a home with a yard and grass!!! We were in that house until right before Francine graduated high school. Farlin was the next stop for me and Bobby and Francine. Ashland became a short stop for Bobby and me on the way to my current spot on Kennerly. I worked various domestic jobs to support my family. At my last two jobs I was lead chef for Mamie’s and the Southern Kitchen restaurants until I retired and took on the hardest job ever ~ being a STAY AT HOME MOM! My children are all grown now and have families of their own. My maternal name to all that know me is MuDear ~ short for Mother Dear. My children lovingly refer to me in conversations with each other as VT. They loved saying it so much that it became the reunion logo of ‘VT’s Kids’. They don’t think I know this but when they say VT Don’t Play, they are letting you know you been checked!!! You may think that Sunday, September 22, 2013 marked the end for me huh? Wrong! My lineage will continue on through all those babies born to my family. I was preceded in death by Dickie Taylor, both my parents ,Jesse and Mae Eva Osborne, Daddy Charles Tave, my eldest brother, James Arthur Osborne, my big sister, Jessie Faye King and a younger sister, Loretta Coleman; my eldest daughter, Susie Ann Nelson and my two oldest sons, Robert and Anthony Taylor. Carrying on my lineage, I am survived by: my brothers ~ Grady Osborne (Jackie) of St. Louis, MO, Jesse Osborne (Valerie) of Las Vegas, NV, Sonny Osborne of Federal Way, WA; my sisters ~ Maxine Johnson of Los Angeles, CA, Mae Helen Grim of Rialto, CA, Valorie Baker of Dallas, TX, Erma Jean Moon of San Bernardino, CA, and their families. My surviving children are ~ Carolyn Jean Taylor, Earl (Barbara) Chew, Keith Taylor, Edward (Tena) Taylor, Orlando (Chris) Taylor and Francine Taylor. My children have given me sixteen grandchildren and eleven great-grand children to carry on the lineage. With the host of relatives, friends and innumerable extended family of friends, my lineage will continue to infinity. This is not the end but a new beginning. Do not mourn my death but celebrate my 80 years, 10 months and 2 days of life. Things were not always easy for me by any means, however, my good days outweighed my bad, and my smiles outnumbered my tears.

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