MARCH 25 – Dr. Woodrow Wilson Taylor, 92, retired veterinarian of Farmville, passed away at home on Tuesday, March 23, 2010. He was born June 22, 1917 in Jolly's Neck on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Dr. Taylor was preceded in death by his loving wife of 64 years, Norma Petillo Taylor.

Dr. Taylor is survived by his loving daughters, Jane Wesley Taylor-Warner and Diane Elizabeth Taylor Garlick, both of Farmville, and his son-in-law, Dirk Laros Warner of Farmville.

Dr. Taylor was a 1938 graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute, with a degree in Animal Sciences. After graduation from VA Tech, he lived in the town of Hague in the Northern Neck area of Virginia where he taught agriculture at Copal High School. He was a U.S. Naval veteran of World War II, and a 1950 graduate of the Veterinary School of the University of Pennsylvania. He served as a Lieutenant on the destroyer-escort U.S.S. Burke in World War II, assigned to convoy duty in both the Atlantic and Pacific Theatres, and witnessed the signing of the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay as part of the fleet. After the war and his subsequent graduation from the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Taylor moved to Farmville in 1951. He practiced as a veterinarian in Farmville for nearly 40 years and was an accomplished and life-long farmer and gardener. He was a devoted member of the Farmville United Methodist Church and a dedicated member of the Farmville Lion's Club for 57 years.

Dr. Taylor was a dedicated family man who loved his wife and family with all his heart, and he truly loved living, learning and serving the community as a veterinarian. He will be greatly missed by his family, caregivers, and friends.

The family will receive friends at Puckett Funeral Home from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, at the Farmville United Methodist Church. Graveside services will be held at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Richmond, on Sunday at 2 p.m.

Memorial contributions may be made to Farmville United Methodist Church and the Farmville Lion's Club.

Puckett Funeral Home, Farmville, is in charge of arrangements.

www.puckettfh.com