Page 79 - Panama City Living Magazine September-October 2019

The day was how they imagined it to be. All the people they loved and cherished were there and among them, dozens of children and young adults that Eddie calls family. The Taunton home is a place of love and refuge for children. Here is where Edward and his twin brother William were raised by their loving adoptive parents Abi- gail and David Taunton. The twins grew up with eight siblings and, throughout the years, hundreds of other children who had found refuge here—some remaining for just a few days, others growing up to young adults at the home. More than 300 children and counting have been raised in the children’s home since his parents, Abigail and David, first started it in 1978.
Edward, who goes by Eddie for all his friends, recalls many memo- rable moments as he and his brother grew up and kept everyone at the home entertained and on their toes. Today, Elaina is the center of all his love and attention.
Panama City Beach native Elaina explains that she met Billy through mutual friends. “After talking us both into it, our friends introduced us,” she remembers. She had graduated the year before from Flagler College and worked at a local bank at the time. That year marked Edward’s 12th anniversary of working as a manager with a local beach management company. “After meeting, we went on our first date to the St. Andrews Farmers’ Market and we immediately fit per- fectly into each other’s lives,” Elaina recalls with a smile.
Eddie did not wait long to introduce the girl of his dreams to his parents by taking her to the Taunton Family Festival, an event that takes place annually on the second Saturday of May.
“We come from very different backgrounds but work so perfectly together. We are both very close with our families and would not be the people we are without them,” the young couple states. They explain that they continue to keep God at the center of their rela- tionship and know through his love they will continue to grow closer and will even fall more in love every day.
wedding ELAINA & EDWARD
Their wedding venue is very special to both of them. “We chose to get married on the Taunton family property in front of the fresh- water lake because it is perfect not only because of its beauty, but also because of the sentimental value it holds,” they explain. As Edward grew up he saw the transformation of the Taunton Family Children’s Home. When he was just a baby there was just one sin- gle home with 20 foster children. Through the years, his parents kept adding more facilities and amenities and there are now three homes with more than 30 children. The property also holds church camps throughout the summer. The lake is just behind his parents’ home and is often a place of worship, volleyball tournaments, and fun obstacles courses for the children. The groom and groomsmen stayed the night and got ready in the Homer House which is where many church camp guests stay. The bride and bridesmaids stayed the night and got ready in the Steve Watkins Memorial Home, which is used as a guest home.
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