Veda K. Taylor

Veda K. Taylor, 95, of Carmel, passed away June 29, 2023.  She was born March 22, 1928, in Burnt Prairie, Illinois, the daughter of the late Victor and Martha (Smith) Kieser.  She married Walter Ivan Taylor, Jr. on October 10, 1948.  He preceded her in passing on September 7, 2010, after almost 62 years of marriage.  Veda attended Southern Illinois University and taught school in a one-room schoolhouse early in her career.

Together, Walt and Veda owned Taylor’s Custom Furniture and Interiors in Evansville, Indiana for over 55 years.  Veda was able to use creativity, impeccable taste, and her charming personality to serve the community and their many clients with her interior design.  Walt and Veda were the perfect team in business and in life.  They also helped renovate, decorate, and run the Starkey Inn Bed & Breakfast in Evansville over a span of 10 years.  In the last nine years of her life, Veda lived in Carmel, Indiana, cherishing time with her close family and making many good friends.  She was a woman of strong, Christian faith, active in various Bible Studies, fellowship, teaching Sunday School, and leading Vacation Bible School.  Her relationship with Jesus Christ was the pillar of her life.  She will be remembered for her unwavering support and encouragement, selfless nature, being a wonderful hostess, and serving her delicious meals and desserts, but above all else, she was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.

Veda had many wonderful friends, as she invested herself in others.  She was a good listener and a good conversationalist, and people loved to talk to her.  She helped others by her gift of hospitality, her involvement in her long time church, Calvary Baptist Church, her work with Tri Kappa, and being a founding member of Christian Fellowship Church in Evansville.  Veda and Walt enjoyed attending Aces basketball games with their friends, proudly wearing their purple and rarely missing a home game.  Veda loved her family fiercely, and she was particularly close to her sisters.  Veda’s welcoming spirit allowed her daughters to grow up with her sisters’ children like brothers and sisters—-a bond which lasts to this day.

She is survived by two daughters, Debra (Dan Fulford) Hahn and Martha “Marti” (Ron Schwier) Starkey; 6 grandchildren, Trenton (Anna) Hahn, Troy (Leigh) Hahn, Paige (Brandon) Andrews, Bill (Sandi) Johnson, Ryan (Sandra) Schwier, and Erin (Matt) Hogan; and 13 great-grandchildren, Jake, Julia, Madison, Emma, Olivia, Taylor, Grace, Macie, Lea, Collin, Emilio, Conor, and Cate.  She was preceded in passing by a brother, John Kieser; and five sisters, Helena Funkhouser, Ruth Kieser, Grace McFall, Maud Oppenheimer, and Vickie Johnson.

Funeral Services will be at 1:00 p.m. Sunday, July 9, 2023, at Flanner Buchanan – Carmel, 325 East Carmel Drive.  Visitation will be from 4:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Saturday, July 8, 2023, at the funeral home.  The family wishes to thank the wonderful staff at Wellbrooke of Carmel and Paradigm Healthcare for their loving and excellent care.  Memorial contributions may be directed to In Touch Ministries, Carmel United Methodist Church (Music Ministry), Indiana Women In Need (“IWIN”) Foundation, or to the American Heart Association.  Online condolences may be shared by visiting www.flannerbuchanan.com.