I am so sorry for Seth's loss. Losing a dear loved one is painful especially when it is your child who is so very young. May the family find comfort in knowing that there will soon be a ressurection of those who have died. Seth will be reunited with his family on a paradise earth. May the family look forward to this wonderful day and keep in mind the happy memories of Seth.

SETH TAYLOR WILSON'S EULOGY

I am proud to say that I am Seth Taylor Wilson's father.  Seth was born on August 25th 1990 at Women's and Children's hospital.  He was a Regatta baby.  Some of you may remember the Charleston Stern Wheel Regatta.  His mother is Rebecca Lee Wilson.  
Three days after Seth was born I turned 36.  So for the next 25 years Seth and I always celebrated our birthdays together.  We would have one cake and one party.  But the party would sometimes last for a week.  
Seth lived the first five years of his life, with me and his mother and his big brother, Jess, in a log home that I had built on top of a mountain in Lincoln County.  There he spent his days growing, wrestling with his older brother, jumping on a trampoline and playing in the woods.  Our nearest neighbor was a two hundred yard hike through the woods.
When he was six we moved to Rand, where Seth's mother, Becky, had grown up and her parents still lived.  Seth, for all practical purposes, lived the rest of his life in Rand.  Seth attended Rand Elementary School, Dupont Middle School and Riverside High School.  
During Seth's sophomore year at Riverside, his mother and I decided that it would be in Seth's best interest to take him out of public school and send him to the Mountaineer Challenge Academy in Kingwood, WV.  In a foreshowing of things to come, Seth was simply having too much fun in public schools and in our neighborhood.  He needed to be somewhere with more discipline and more structure.  Seth thrived at Mountaineer Challenge Academy.  He rose to the second highest position available in his platoon.  He was the guy that got to carry the platoon's flag during parades.  Seth got his GED there.  
When Seth graduated from Mountaineer Challenge Academy, the class that he had started with at Riverside was getting ready to start their senior year.  Seth wanted to reenroll at Riverside and graduate with his class like a regular student.  The school board refused at first to let him enroll, saying that because he already had his GED they did not have to let him back into high school.  They had never heard of anyone wanting to get back into high school after they had already obtained their GED.  The school board quickly relented, after I explained the law to them, and they let Seth enroll, and Seth did graduate with his class, with his friends.  To everyone's knowledge, Seth is the only person in the history of WV to have both his GED and a High School Diploma.  So Seth is in the record books in that regard.  Seth went on to spend a year at Glenville State College and got an associate's degree from Carver Career Center.
Seth was an outstanding athlete as a young boy.  He could run like the wind.  He was the star of his youth rec league soccer team, having once scored 10 goals in a single game.  He was a perennial all-star in his Little League.  And he was the starting Center fielder and leadoff hitter for one of the best teams in the state in Babe Ruth league.  He loved basketball.  He could jump and grab a basketball rim at a very young age.  He always made the all-star team and played for the local AAU team.  He was an avid downhill skier, his mother having taught him how to ski at the age of 4 or 5.  Later, during his teens, he became an avid snow boarder.  He loved wake boarding and jet skiing and boating in general.  He was a very good ping pong player.  He and I spent many hours in our basement hammering a ping pong ball back and forth.
Seth had a tremendous capacity for love.  He loved his mother, Becky.  He loved his grandmother, Jenny.  He loved his brothers, Jess and Austin.  He loved his friends.  And he loved me.  
Seth loved music.  When he was only four or five, every time that he got in my car he would insist that I plug in a Duke Ellington CD that I carried in my car at the time.  Seth had a wide and varied taste in music.  Everything from rap and hip hop to classic rock to alternative music.  Everything from Wiz Kallifa to Buddy Holly to Harry Nillson to They Might Be Giants.  Seth told me, just a few days before he died, that he planned to learn how to play the guitar this winter.  I promised to teach him.
Seth loved movies and he was really looking forward to the new Star Wars movie that's coming out in a few weeks.  He and I had already planned to see it on opening day.  He and I watched every episode of Breaking Bad together, and loved it.
Seth loved roller coasters.  He spent many a joyous day with his mother at Kings Island, or Cedar Point or Universal Studios, literally running from one roller coaster to another.  I am certain that there is no roller coaster on the planet that would cause Seth to hesitate for a second before getting on.  Seth loved adventure, and he loved to travel.
Seth loved animals, especially dogs.  And just three weeks before he died he got himself a new puppy.  He named him Chief, because, for reasons that I never fully understood, he was a Kansas City Chiefs fan.
Seth told me just a few days before he died that he needed to find a good woman that would love him.  He told me that he wanted what I had.  A wife and children and a family of his own.  He was buying a lot on the river with a nice mobile home and had begun the process of clearing the river bank.  He was planning to build a house on that lot someday once he had a family to build the house for. 
Seth always worried about me.  He was always on me to lose some weight and get  more exercise.  He told me that he wanted to hang out with me for as many more years as possible.  He wanted me to watch him raise his own family.  I wanted those things also.
Seth loved the Mountaineers.  For the last 15 years or so he and I watched every Mountaineer football and Basketball game together.  I don't think that we missed a single game.  He had been looking forward to the start of this basketball season for months because it looks like we may be really good.  One week ago, this very minute, we were on my couch watching the Mountaineers beat up on the Stetson Hatters.  After that game we made plans to watch the WVU football game that kicked off at noon the next day.  We hugged each other and said goodnight.  I told him that I loved him and for him to be good.  He told me that he loved me too.  But at noon the next day he didn't show up as expected.  I went to his trailer and ended up knocking his door in and found him on his kitchen floor.  He was gone.
Since the day he was born taking care of him was the primary focus of my life.  I wanted nothing more than for him to be happy, and to live a long and full life.  I think that he was happy while he was here.  He was beautiful.
Goodbye Seth, goodbye my son

Seth  Jenny Wilson (Ma Maw)
Our lives together started 25 years ago.  I was cleaning house for Jeff and Becky was at Hospital outing with Jess and Tony when her water broke and after getting the boys home went to Women's and Children's hospital for the new arrival.  I hurried to the hospital and after several hours he arrived and I cut the cord.
It was during Regatta Week so he was awarded a special shirt from Gardner Cleaner as Special Regatta Baby.
He spent early years in Lincoln County on top of a hill in a lovely log cabin built by Bob.
In 1981 guy retired and we spent the winter in Fern Park Fla.  The family always visited and toured the parks and the ocean.
As Seth grew he was always active and very fast.  Excelled is all sports.  Excelled in all sports.
He and Tyler Hickman started kindergarten together (two of a kind).
He left public school to go to the Mountaineer Challenge Academy where he got his GED, he did really well, getting several  awards.  He should have gone into the service.  He would have been a great soldier, fearless, quick, smooth.
He was awarded a beautiful white Toyota Avalon.  It didn't last long.  But after I received a car exactly like it, it made him wish he had cared for it better.
Seth was really good at all mechanical things.  He was always fixing my door or helping me make my bed.
He was always helping me cook.  Learned how to make tea, mash potatoes, make candy, etc.
Seth lived with me for a year while attending Carver for an electrical degree.  When he graduated in June he wanted to start his own home.  So his mother, Becky, agreed to sell him the river bank lot with a nice mobile home, so I had saved Series EE Bonds that I gave him and he was planning to clear the bank and build steps and have his boat with a motor in the Kanawha.
Seth was able to get his porch built.  He knew he could later build a house or get a larger mobile home.
All these plans fell apart when we lost you.
I see a touch of you everywhere  house, garage, pictures.  I will always love you and remember you all the days of my life.  You had so much in life.  Traveled all over the USA, cruises, boating, winter sports.  Getting a little brother, Austin, 18 years ago.  Big brother Jess and loving parents.
Each day I go in Rand Community Center I see your smiling face on a plaque placed in your memory.
Always With Love.Ma Maw

I will love you forever, Seth.  Thank you for everything you did for me and for loving me while you were here.

THE STORY OF SETH'S NAME.
When Seth was born, his mother, Becky, presented me with a list of names that she said that she would find acceptable.  On the list were the names Seth and Taylor.  I immediately realized that Seth Taylor was the mythical founder of Mayberry, the mythical town in North Carolina where Andy Griffith was Sheriff and Barney Fife was his deputy.  It was one of my favorite TV shows of all time.  When I suggested to Becky that we name Seth Seth Taylor' she liked it at once and there was no further discussion about any other name.  Henceforth his name was Seth Taylor Wilson.  We always thought that it had a nice ring to it.

Becky's Entry.

Mmm, Where do you start when you sit down to write someone's life story?  Do you start from the beginning or the end of your walk on this earth?  The footprints in the sand that suddenly end...One of the happiest days of my life was when I was told that I was pregnant with Seth and the day he was born. He was a happy baby about 8lbs. 6oz.Being a middle childlike myself, I was a little more relaxed with the baby rules with Seth.  When he was about 3 months old, I brought him a bowl of grits on my way home from the hospital. He loved them but immediately began to break out in hives...one of the many scares Seth gave me throughout his lifetime.  He was climbing out of the baby bed at 7 months and walking at 8 months and then running everywhere he wanted to go. He was a beautiful baby and very healthy, hardly ever having a sniffle.  The Wilson clan was born and raised in Rand WV, but after Seth's birth we moved into the log cabin on the ridge in Lincoln County on Priestly Ridge Rd.  We owned 7 acres of ridgetop and it was a good place to grow into boyhood.  He always attended church while growing up; participating in youth, children's choir (the biggest fidgiter, pulling up his choir robe while performing @ the morning services...Seth was a physically handsome boy and man.  He seemed to be naturally well muscled. He loved to climb anything. If you couldn't find him just look up in a tree...He was quick to pick up any sport. He was a proficient swimmer, roller blader, skater, trick biker, skateboarder, water skier, wake boarder, snow skier, snow boarder, snorkeling, and scuba diving. We always had some kind of boat and ran the Kanawha River every summer.  Seth and I considered ourselves "River rats". We would both swim across the river and back on a dare.  He was one of the first people to tip over my kayak after putting 6 boys on it!  We spent many a leisurely Sunday afternoon swimming, boating, and playing over the river bank of the Kanawha River, after a big roast beef and mashed potatoes at his mamaw Jenny's house in Rand.  He loved to play with his older cousins and mentors Mark and Travis Zimmerman. We loved to wrestle in the floor of the living room; I always won and pinned him until he was full grown...We were a family who liked the outdoors. We took several hikes as a family up to "Old Baldy" and The Devils Tea Table up Rush Creek. One of my fondest memories is hiking up the mountain on a Sunday afternoon.  Bob had let Seth borrow his cell phone.  Seth was probably about 10.  Well, after the trek down, Bob wanted his cell phone back and Seth had forgotten it on the top of Devils Tea Table.  The next day I picked Seth up at Belle Elementary and him and I hiked back up to the top of old Baldy and there was Bob's phone right where he had left it! Seth never complained and hiked right back up that hill like a mountain goat.  I was so proud of him. He never complained.  It was a peaceful time, just him and me. That was one of many memorable and fun times with my middle mischievous child.  Seth was professionally diagnosed with ADHD and ODD but I guess I was like that as a child myself. He always had tons of energy.... Seth loved dogs and "critters".  We always had a pet.  One of his last pets was a black and white Pharaoh terrier named Chief. (after his favorite pro football team, Kansas City Chiefs)  Maybe one of his last  memories in this world was Chief licking him on the face and hands and unsuccessfully trying to wake him up on that fateful day....We moved back to Rand in the flats of the Kanawha Valley after two severe winters 1993 and 1994. Seth was offered many opportunities @ diversity.  He took piano lessons (he did a few solos at St. Johns UMC, gymnastics @ which he excelled, many basketball leagues, from church to school.  He helped lead Morris Memorial Sr. league to a championship that would rival any high school team....He played league baseball, excelling in the outfield because of his speed. He played for Kanawha Central All Stars; the team went to Orlando Fla.in the finals.  His Dad's small family lived in Talbot Tenn.  Next to a 50,000 acre lake Cherokee.  We visited often and had many adventures; fishing, swimming, tubing, hiking along the rugged bank. Our camp was on a strip of an old tobacco farm which was perfect for playing ball and riding his Memaw's golf cart up and down the bottom.  We took many trips to Dollywood.  I remember cuddling up to Seth in a tent in the Smoky Mountains as the Red Wolves howled all night.He was the only one that shared a passion for rollercoasters with me.  They didn't go too fast drop too steep for Seth.  Seth and Jess got separated from us one time when we were leaving at the end of the day in the mad rush.  I was so afraid that I would never see them again!!  He helped raise a pig in Tenn.  Bacon Bit blossomed into 500lbs. Seth loved spending time with his cousins Grayling and Amanda White. The Sunday tradition was having a huge county breakfast at his Memaw's house just down the bottom. That is where he developed a passion for biscuits and gravy. It was the first time we had ever had fried chicken and bologna for breakfast.  Then we would spend the next few hours cleaning up the massive tower of dishes, pots and pans his Memaw had dirtied .  Then off to the lake in the old pontoon boat for swimming, picnicking, and tubing on the beautiful Cherokee Lake.
      Seth's educational process was not smooth.  He constantly restless and had a very short attention span.  Despite many remedial efforts he never developed an interest in reading .or studying.  He was very mechanically gifted and could figure out how to put anything together. Unfortunately his lack of grades minimized hid participation in High School sports.  He excelled in Mountaineer Challenge Academy, demonstrating leadership, team spirit, as well as a superior physical prowess.  He was the only one to get both a GED and a High School diploma from Riverside in 2009. Seth and I both loved to travel and camp, both of which we did a lot of.  We included him on my family adventures from infancy to adult.  We took 2 trips a year to Orlando Fla. because my mom and dad were snowbirds.  He had visited every Disney Park numerous times, many trips to Sea World, Universal, and some of the lesser known Fla. Treasures such as Wekiva Springs, St. Johns River; checking out the manatee and alligators. Our most frequented beach was New Symrna beach next to Daytona. He was a proficient sand skimmer, and body surfer. We had contests to see who could swim out the farthest before the lifeguard would blow us in. Of course Seth liked to check out the scantly clothed babes on the beach
       We took one of our dream trips to Yellowstone, Tetons, Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  Bob and Seth had a big mug of beer sitting on the saddle bar stools and bellied up to the Silver Dollar encrusted bar.  Of course on the way back we had to stop in Kansas City to check out the home and stadium of the Kansas City Chiefs, his favorite pro football team.We also cruised extensively: east and west Caribbean, Jamaica, Punta Conta, and St. Martin.  They didn't make any money on Seth at the all-you-can-eat bars! He looked like a prince on Formal Night. We also had fun on the many trips to Myrtle Beach, from camping at the state park; beach houses with the family at surfside. Seth loved to go out for the all you can eat crab legsOur last big dream trip was our trek to Arcadia National Park and Seashore in Maine.  We took almost a month, packing up the Honda minivan with our bikes on the back and kayak ;up top. We did many cities along the way of which Seth had never seen: Maryland's inner harbor, Philadelphia (spent a wild 4 of July rocking out in the heart of the city(rung the liberty bell)HA, New York City, Boston and then on to Portland Maine, then on  up the coast to Acadia where Seth ate his first whole lobster, complete with bib..Seth had finally learned to be a good travelling partner..
     After Seth graduated from the electrical program from Carver, he bought a river lot and mobile home for his first starter home. His mamaw had savings bonds she had been saving up for a life time for him.  He adopted a little Pharaoh terrier named Chief for a companion.
     One of the funny little things Seth and I liked to do , all the way growing up is that we would make funny faces in the mirror, cheek to cheek.He also liked to show off his physical prowess by picking me up and cracking MY back.
      His life was cut short..
       This is the prayer Seth and I prayed ever night growing up
        Now I lay me down to sleep
        I pray the Lord my soul to keep
        If I should die before I wake
         I PRAY the Lord my soul to keep
                                                                         I love and miss you TERRIBLY   Mama Bear

I really find writing an entry difficult because I still have trouble believing that Seth is really gone from us.  I do want to cherish his memory as I know the rest of his family and friends do, so I am writing some of my favorite moments with Seth.  Jeff recalls how impressed he always was with Seth's natural mechanical ability.  This natural ability was apparent any time they worked on a project together.  My favorite thought is of the huge smile he always had for me at family get to gathers and the hugs he always gave me.  I have fond memories of family dinners and remember all of us going to The Chesapeake Marina together.  We enjoyed watching lots of ball games with Seth, Bob, and the rest of the  family.  I have nice memories of vacationing with family including Seth and enjoying seeing pictures of Seth and his family on various trips.  I recall often seeing Seth's adventurous side.  One particular time we were out on the boat and I believe he was on a wake board, but it might have been skis.  He was doing amazing stunts. He was fearless. Seth loved his clothes and shoes always dressing nicely. I fondly recall reading with Seth when he was eight or nine and watching him play baseball.  These memories of Seth when he was a child are especially dear, but also very sad.  It makes me cry to think about them, but we have to cherish the memories and be thankful for the time we had with Seth.

Just know I am thinking of you and knowing God's mercy and love will help you face all that lies ahead.We love you and I light this candle in remembrance of Seth and knowing his everlasting spirit  in the hands of God now.

Becky, just saw this in the paper. Just can't imagine your pain. Thinking of you and your family and hoping for some means of peace to allow you to carry on. 
JoAnn Scholl ( Madison, WV)

I am so sorry for your loss, Robert. My thoughts and prayers are with you and family.

My heart aches for the loss of this beautiful young man.  I spent time on the ski slopes with him and he came to my house a couple times to do some work.  He was such a beautiful soul.  I am so sorry Becky and Bob.  My thoughts and prayers are with you at this time of great loss.              Ann Bostic

I went to high school with Seth, knowing him was a pleasure. He always kept a smile on others faces, never failed to make someone laugh. He was definitely a awesome guy. My heart breaks for his family & also friends. Prayers to all

So sorry for your loss   Love and prayers Karen Randolph

May God comfort you in your grief. Our deepest sympathy.

Aunt Becky and Bob. So sorry for your loss. I will keep you in my prayers and thoughts.

Our hearts go out to you in this time of need with our deepest condolences and sympathies.  We are so sorry to hear about your loss. No bond is as great as that between a parent and child. Seth will always be with you in your hearts. In your grief, look to God, family, and friends for comfort because they also love Seth and you.

Bob and Becky I cannot tell you how shocked and saddened I am by Seth's sudden passing. He will always be a big part of our memories. He was so funny and such a good friend of Cody"s. Hugs and prayers.

The Morris Memorial Church family was shocked and saddened upon learning of Seth's death.  His memory is precious to us, and your family is in our prayers.  God bless you.  
Mark Flynn, pastor

So Sorry for your loss may God wrap his arms around you and comfort you in the coming days ahead.

May God bless and comfort each and everyone of you. We are so sorry for your loss. We loved Seth and will miss him deeply. He was so blessed to have such a wonderful loving family, he spoke of you all often. Our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with you...

Becky, Bob and Jess-
"The pain passes, but the beauty remains."  Renoir
It is hard to conceive of the pain ever lessening,  but know that the beauty of Seth's life will always be with you.  I send my love and prayers to you...
Ann Johnston (Poca, WV)

Patti and I are saddened beyond words for your loss. We send our deepest sympathies to your entire family.

 Bob and Becky,
Words can never express the hurt and sorrow I feel in my heart, for the loss of your young beautiful son. Many prayers coming you way in hopes it brings you some comfort and peace during this horrible tragedy.

"When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.  Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?' (1 Corinthians 15:54-55)

So sorry for your loss.

Matthew 5:4 ..Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
I look forward for the day to return when you will again share stories of Seth with that deep belly laugh and huge smile on your face.

Thoughts and prayers to the family. May God Bless You!

Our deepest sympathies are with you Bob.  Thoughts and prayers to you and your family. Jerry Merceruio

OBITUARY

Seth Taylor Wilson

August 25, 1990 – November 21, 2015

Stevens & Grass Funeral Home

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