Savoy, Texas -- Taylor Nicole Shelton of Savoy, Texas passed from this world after a short illness on January 31, 2026, at Texoma Medical Center in Denison Texas.
Taylor was born on July 27, 1989, in Plano, TX, to Penny and Joe Dan Shelton. She went with them wherever they went, stayed with them wherever they stayed, and so in the end she resided in Savoy, Texas with her parents and her two youngest brothers.
Taylor’s entry into this life was dramatic, filled in equal measure with sadness and worry and laughter and joy. This paradox of joy within trial would become the theme of her life. Her difficulties with speech and mobility did not hinder her in her goal to be the center of her home, and she was without a doubt the Queen Bee of the Shelton household. It was often said that her daddy spoiled her, which was true enough, but he was far from the only culprit.
Penny watched over Taylor with little concern for her own needs, making sure she had tasty food to eat, a comfy bed, fun TV shows, and a soothing, healing hand when she felt sick. Her brothers and sisters doted on her and catered to her every need. They played games with her, watched movies with her, helped feed and care for her, and entertained her when Penny and Joe Dan would steal away for an evening out.
She loved listening to her brothers and sisters play games, helping her Mom babysit nieces and nephews, laughing at her Dad’s jokes and troubles, and commandeering the television to watch a favorite show or movie. She loved The Greatest Showman, and she enjoyed Frasier, I Love Lucy, and The Middle. She had a special place in her heart for Axel Heck, which should give you an interesting insight into her personality.
She also enjoyed watching her brothers and sisters play sports, sitting courtside with her dad and laughing as they would run back and forth. She was their Tater, and she loved them as much as they loved her.
Taylor was very much a social butterfly, making friends wherever she went. She was a happy church goer, attending with her family and being as much a part of church life as her condition would allow.
She loved to shop at Sam’s, HEB and Walmart. For a time, she was such a well-known figure at the local Walmart that one of the employees, Miss Kayla, made Taylor her very own ID badge. She was a traveler too, making friends in such far-flung places as the Grand Canyon, Snoqualmie Falls, Yellowstone, Canada and Niagara Falls, and Branson. She and her family shared many lively times and adventures, and she will be missed.
Taylor is preceded in death by her grandparents, Wayne Shelton, Dean and Evelyn Shilling, and a step-grandparent Bob Stults. She is survived by her parents Joe Dan and Penny as well as brothers and sisters Clayton and Cassidy (with Ellie, Hank, Cooper and Rustin), Matthias and Hailey (with Beren and Bowen), Samuel, Ezra, Penny-Jo, Sarah-Jo, Tali Jo and Justin (with Logan), Reuben and Stephen, a grandparent Joan Stults, and a very large extended family of aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Funeral services will be at 2:00 p.m, Thursday, February 5, 2025, at the Waldo Funeral Home Chapel in Sherman, with Pastor Virgil Cornwell officiating. Burial will follow at Sunnyside Cemetery in Savoy, TX.
