Taylor McKenzie Morgeson

Taylor McKenzie Morgeson, age 3, of Glendive, died on Saturday, March 8, 2008 at St. Vincent's Hospital in Billings, Montana following a year long battle with Leukemia. A Life Tribute Service will be held at 2:00 P.M., Wednesday, March 12, 2008 in the Chapel of the Silvernale-Silha Funeral Home in Glendive with Celebrant Sandy Silha officiating. Interment will be in the Dawson Memorial Cemetery of Glendive. Silvernale-Silha Funeral Home of Glendive is entrusted with arrangements. Taylor was born on January 30, 2005 in Hamilton County, Ohio, the daughter of Jennine Renee Liberatore and Joseph Michael Morgeson. Taylor had fought so hard to stay well, but relapsed in February 2008 when her little body couldn't handle the chemotherapy. She was an amazing gift from God to her parents and is loved more than anything in the world. Everyone that met her will forever be blessed. She is missed tremendously and we hope she is finally peaceful and safe in Heaven. Survivors include her parents, Joseph Morgeson and Jennine Liberatore of Glendive, Mt.; one brother, Kellin Joseph Morgeson of Glendive and one sister, Olivia Michelle Morgeson of Cincinnati, Ohio; her maternal grandmother, Theresa Liberatore of Glendive; paternal grandparents, Michael and Lynda Morgeson of Cincinnati; maternal step grandmother, Dawn Fritzer of El Cajon, Califonia; maternal great grandparents, John and Lorna Liberatore of Phoenix, Arizona and Richard and Iliff Fritzer of San Diego, California; paternal great grandparents, Glen and Dorothy Morgeson of Daytona Beach, Florida; maternal step great grandparents, Frank and Judy Eckis of El Cajon, California; aunts, Stephanie Liner of Glendive, Susan Morgeson of Cincinnati and Niccole Waitman of El Cajon; uncles, John Liberatore and Jeffrey Liberatore, both of San Diego, California, Michael Liberatore of Glendive and Cory Morgeson of Cincinnati. Celebrant Service: Speakers: Jennine Liberatore, Stephanie Liberatore, and Joseph Morgeson Poem read by Taylor’s father, Joe “When tomorrow starts without me, And I’m not there to see; If the sun should rise and find your eyes All filled with tears for me; I wish so much you wouldn’t cry The way you did today, While thinking of the many things, We didn’t get to day. I know how much you love me As much as I love you, And each time that you think of me, I know you’ll miss me too; But when tomorrow starts without me, Please try to understand, That an angel can and called my name, And took me by the hand, And said my place was ready, In Heaven far above, And that I’d have to leave behind All those I dearly love. But as I turned and walked away, A tear fell from my eye, For all my life I’d always thought I didn’t want to die. I had so much to live for, So much yet to do It seemed almost impossible, That I was leaving you. I thought of all the yesterdays, The good ones and the bad, I thought of all the loved we shared, And all the fun we had. If I could relive yesterday, Just even for awhile. I’d say good-bye and kiss you And maybe see you smile. But then I fully realized That this could never be For emptiness and memories, Would take the place of me. And when I thought of worldly things I might miss come tomorrow, I thought of you and when I did My heart was filled with sorrow. But When I walked through heaven’s gates, I felt so much at home.” Celebrant: Eulogy Taylor McKenzie Morgeson. What a beautiful, vibrant, wonderfully feisty and courageous child she was. During the three short years of her life, Taylor walked through the lives of those around her leaving footprints on the hearts of those lucky enough to live in her world. She gave and inspired great love. Taylor came into this world just over three years ago on January 30. She made her presence known immediately. Her paternal grandmother, Lynda Morgeson, recalls Taylor as a colicky baby and Lynda’s way to sooth Taylor was to put Taylor high on her shoulder, walk with her, and hum against Taylor’s cheek. This magic formula always seemed to calm Taylor. Taylor always had an endearing way of getting up- close and personal. When she would sit on her mother, Jennine’s, lap, and she had something to say, Taylor would put her hand on Jennine’s cheek and turn Jennine’s head toward her and say, “Look at me, Mom.” Taylor loved to have Jennine’s full attention when talking to her mother. When near her mother, Taylor might start with “Mom….Mom…” and if that didn’t get Jennine to acknowlege her, Taylor would say “Jenneeene!” Taylor was not to be denied. She could be very explicit in her wants and Taylor was definitely a leader. As baby Taylor developed into a little girl, it was apparent that Taylor was all girl. Her favorite color was pink, and Taylor loved dressing up and playing princess. You may have noticed the princess crown in the picture of Taylor used with her obituary. A favorite activity of Taylor’s were her tea parties. Taylor always had a tea party at bath time and she even would have real tea at parties with her great-grandparents, Nonie and Poppy. And Taylor loved to toast and say “cheers” with her beverages. Another favorite beverage was Sprite, and later Pepsi, but then she pretty much called everything she drank, Sprite. Her favorite foods were mac and cheese, chicken, and yogurt. Taylor’s favorite television show was “Dora, the Explorer.” Jennine says one reason Taylor enjoyed this show so much, was that Taylor felt as though Dora was talking directly to her, and having a conversation. “Three Wisemen” and “This Little Light Of Mine” were her favorite songs. Whenever Taylor sang “This Little Light of Mine” which she did a lot, she would always “blow” out the light before Satan could do it. A phrase that Taylor would use very often was “Oh my gosh” and she would say it loaded with expression. Taylor’s pronunciation skills were not fully developed yet, and the way she said things would be so cute, you couldn’t help but smile. When leaving a room, Taylor might say, “I be back”, and she would often refer to her “siccy cup” and her “lip guaf.” Taylor thought all pennies were dollars, and she would proudly show you her dollars. Taylor enjoyed playing with cameras, toy and real ones, and actually was quite good at taking photos. She had many toys and dolls to play with, and as you saw in the Make-A-Wish video, she was an awesome driver. The toys in the pews is just a reminder of the presence of a child. Taylor had quite the time with her younger brother, Kellin. Sometimes she would mother Kellin, like giving him time-outs, or teaching him to say things such as “go bye-bye”, “stop it”, and “I want to hold you”. Other times Taylor was a typical big sister, trying to get him into trouble by telling on him or fighting over sippy cups. But it was Kellin who gave her a wonderful gift. His bone marrow was a perfect match, and when the doctors did Taylor’s bone marrow transplant last summer, Kellin was the marrow donor. When Taylor was about one and a half years old, she began to have frequent colds and fevers. In February, 2007, she went into the hospital for pneumonia. At that time, Taylor was living in Ohio. Taylor just didn’t get better, and she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. The next eight months were spent fighting the disease. Taylor’s treatment included chemotherapy, radiation, and the bone marrow transplant. In December of 2007, Taylor was finally released from the hospital. It was then that her grandmother, Theresa Liberatore, convinced her daughter, Jennine, to bring Taylor here to Montana. Theresa had been traveling back and forth to Ohio during those difficult eight months and felt a special bond with her first grandchild. Theresa wanted to have a more hands-on relationship with Taylor and felt by having Taylor close, Theresa could help prolong Taylor’s life, at least past the one-year anniversary of the bone marrow transplant. If Taylor needed another transplant, doctors would not do a second one for at least a year. But the miracle was not to be, as Taylor relapsed in February of this year. There was a blood transfusion and more chemotherapy was started. The “Make-A-Wish” Foundation was contacted and Taylor’s wish was to go to Disneyland and meet “Dora the Explorer”. But Taylor’s doctors did not want her to make the trip. Local residents here in Glendive were contacted by the “Make-A-Wish” Foundation and in a short time, an event was planned for Taylor. A room at the Yellowstone River Inn was decorated in the themes of a princess and “Dora the Explorer”. Toys and food were donated and Montana’s Outstanding Teen, Chantel Bury came and painted Taylor’s fingernails. As you saw in the video, Taylor just glowed with exuberance and had a great time at her party. And how was Taylor when it came to dealing with her illness, the doctors, the hospitals, the treatments, and all that went with them? Taylor probably handled everything the best of anyone. For her, hospital life was normal, she had spent a good share of her life there. Taylor would help clean and flush her own tubes. She always wanted to high five after taking her meds, because she had done a good job of it. And of course, the booboos needed kissing. The one thing that seemed to cause her distress was when the port in her chest needed attention. Taylor would try to cover it so no one could get to it. Her father, Joe, commented about what a great judge of character Taylor was; she could tell if people were sincere or not. And she tended to be very accepting and loving of people. Jennine and Taylor would say a little prayer together, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep…”They did not say the rest of the words. Sadly, the treatments meant to save Taylor’s life weakened her immune system too much for Taylor to fend off the influenza that took hold of her. On March 8, 2008, the world lost some of its sunshine when Taylor died. We mourn that loss. Throughout her life, Taylor maintained her feistiness, her spirit, her courage and her bubbly personality. To everyone around her she gave much love and much joy. The “footprints” she left in the hearts of those in her world are very deep. Let us now listen to a song chosen for Taylor by her family titled “Angel” sung by Sara McLachlan. Song: “Angel” by Sara McLachlan Celebrant: Closing If love could have saved Taylor’s life, she would have lived forever; Taylor was very much loved. Perhaps the miracle that was hoped for can be found in the love you had for Taylor and that she had for each of you. That love and the memories you have of Taylor will remain in your heart forever. Glenda Morgeson, Joe’s aunt, expressed this thought about Taylor; “ During her short time here with us, Taylor touched me more than any person I have ever known. She was amazing.” The following e-mail was sent from Kerry Jockers Homan, “Taylor McKenzie Morgeson touched my life in ways you can never imagine. Her smiling face will forever be etched in my mind and heart. The time I was so lucky to have spent with her at Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati filled my life with joy and happiness. My favorite memories of her were going for wagon rides and strolling the halls of the hospital. While we were out and about, she would wander off and say, ‘be right back, K’. Taylor always made me laugh! I am so blessed to have known her and am at peace knowing she is in heaven. Taylor has changed my life forever and for that I am grateful. May we meet again someday…” Kerry Jockers Homan Another e-mail sent was from Taylors great-grandparents: “To Joe and Jennine, Taylor touched my heart the day you brought her to see me at uncle Mark’s in Kentucky. She was so beautiful with her long, black, curly hair. She was part of my life through her being my great-granddaughter. Although her light flickered such a short time, she was special and touched many peoples’ lives. My church family and friends here in Florida even were touched by her and prayed hard for her and will continue to do so for her family. She will forever be loved and remembered. Joe, you and Jennine are in my thoughts and prayers. Not a moment went by that I missed praying for precious Taylor. God bless and keep you with his love and give you strength in time now and to come. God’s blessings on all the family. Love you Joe. Love and prayers, Grandma and Pap-Paw Morgeson. Taylor’s grandparents, Lynda and Michael Morgeson said, “Taylor’s body is in Montana; her soul is with God; and her heart is with family.” In visiting with Taylor’s family, is it apparent that Taylor was an important person in this world, a warm and wonderful shimmer of love. Taylor will be greatly missed. Jennine and Joe and Kellin, Theresa and Stephanie, and all who loved and who were touched by Taylor: You will be changed, forever altered by this loss. And that is as it should be. The intensity of the hurt only bears testimony to the depth and meaning of having had Taylor in your lives. Give yourselves time…time to cry, time to rage-if need be, time to walk and think and talk out loud. Don’t be afraid to feel all the range of pain and let it wash through you like a river. Sit quietly sometimes with your sadness or run with it. Let it move through you. Taylor was and remains a part of you. Treasure her memory; hold Taylor close to you still. Carry her with you always. The sharp edges of this pain, this relentless sadness will, in due time, give way to something gentler, something more bearable. Slowly, surely…some healing, some comfort will come. We, your friends and your community cannot take your pain away, nor should we. But please know that we grieve with you and we grieve for you. Theresa Liberatore, Taylor’s maternal grandmother, would like to express her deep appreciation to her employer and co-workers for all their support and understanding and allowing her the time off needed to be there for her granddaughter, Taylor, and her daughter, Jennine. Theresa also thanks the community for its caring attitude, support and prayers. Words really cannot convey Theresa’s thanks to you all. But thank you. “You can shed tears that she is gone or you can smile because she lived. You can close your eyes and pray she’ll come back Or you can open your eyes and see all she’s left. Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her Or you can be full of the love you shared. You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday Or you can be happy for tomorrow, because of yesterday. You can remember her and only that she’s gone Or you can cherish her memory, and let it live on. You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back Or you can do what she’d want; smile, open your eyes, love, and go on.” Anonymous Let us conclude Taylor McKenzie Morgeson’s life tribute service with a video of Taylor prepared by Julie Harris.

Taylor McKenzie Morgeson

January 30, 2005 - March 12, 2008

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Taylor McKenzie Morgeson

January 30, 2005 - March 12, 2008

What We Do

Flowers & Gifts

Plan Ahead

About Us

Resources

Obituaries

Grief & Healing

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