Taylor Honored for His Role in Helping People Rest in Peace

La Grange funeral director Tommy Taylor got some muchdeserved recognition last week. The St. John Union Grand Lodge of Texas in conjunction with the Deshay Family presented Taylor with a plaque and a donation for his many years of service to the community.

MackPrince Deshay, Senior Warden of the Grand Lodge, has family ties to the Flatonia and Armstrong Colony area. Deshay said he personally knows many less-fortunate families who Taylor assisted in their time of grief.

“He helps a lot of people,” said MackPrince Deshay, senior warden in the Grand Lodge.

“A lot of them are short on money, but he still gets them buried. Some of them have never paid him back.”

Deshay father, Mack Deshay Sr., said he has known Tommy Taylor since 1984, when Taylor buried his father. The elder Deshay said he’s seen Taylor help so many families over the years.

“We want the community to know what they’ve got in this funeral home,” said Mack Deshay Sr.

Gregory E. August, the Grand Master of the masonic organization, presented the award during a short ceremony inside the Tommy Taylor Funeral Chapel on Guadalupe St. August asked Taylor to pass on his craft and his sense of community service to the younger generation.

“Allow them to grow and you’ll always have a legacy,” August said.

August also presented Taylor with a check for $600. The money doesn’t come close to compensating Taylor for all the funeral bills he has waived over the years. August called it “a small token of our appreciation.” He told Taylor to spend it as he saw fit.

Taylor gave a short speech in which he thanked the Grand Lodge and the Deshay Family.

“This is not me, we are all a part of God and what he give us,” Taylor said.

Taylor talked about his calling to the profession and said he knew as a child he wanted to be a funeral director. Taylor said he also had a cousin and an uncle who were funeral directors.

“It was just in me, and when I got into this it wasn’t about the money,” he said. “It was about what I could do to help. So far, God has let me do it. I appreciate you all for thinking about me. That means a lot, more than money – just saying ‘thank you’ and showing that you care.”