Roxie Ann Taggs (Spencer)

Roxie Ann (Spencer) Taggs, of Kansas City, Kansas, passed away on Sunday, August 8, 2021. She was 84 years old.

Roxie was born in Kansas City, Missouri on June 17, 1937, and was the first daughter born to Mannie Louise and Muriel Spencer. Roxie was the older sister to Carol, who joined the family in 1939. She was born, raised, and lived most of her life in Kansas City, Missouri. Roxie was a 1956 graduate of Northeast High School. She married Norman Taggs on March 2, 1958, at Temple Baptist Church of Kansas City, Missouri. From their union came two daughters, Nora and Gwyn. She worked at TG&Y, Montgomery Ward, TSC, Adler’s, AARP Pharmacy, and Economy Drug. Roxie also sold everything from Avon to Stanley Products. She volunteered early in her life as a teacher’s aide at James Elementary, with the Girl Scouts, and as a block (safety) parent with the PTA. Later, Roxie would volunteer at her Baptist churches in various positions. She attended Bales Baptist Church, Beacon Baptist Church, Elmira Baptist Church, and The First Baptist Church of Lee’s Summit. Later in life, Roxie lived in Lawson, MO and Lee’s Summit, MO, and finally settling in with Nora and her family for the last eight months in Kansas City, KS. Roxie was an avid reader and she very much enjoyed strawberry sundaes and vanilla ice cream, always finding room for a few bites. As an extremely talented seamstress, Roxie made her daughters' wedding dresses as well as the wedding parties’ dresses too. She loved making baby blankets and giving them as gifts. Roxie had such great faith and never tired of studying the Lord’s word. Aside from her love of the Lord, Roxie loved her family and grandchildren with all that she had to give to them. She was a doting mother and grandmother, never leaving anyone guessing of the love she carried for them. She was notorious for “adopting people” and had an open-door policy, helping anyone in need. Roxie will be greatly missed but will always live on with our stories and surely in our hearts.

Roxie is survived by her daughters, Nora (Jeffery) Tosspon, and Gwyn (Andrew) Collier; grandchildren, Jennifer Tosspon, Brandon Tosspon, and Jason Tosspon; nine great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; sister, Carol Ross; three nieces; four nephews; great friends; and good neighbors. She was preceded in death by her parents, Muriel and Mannie Louise Spencer; and ex-husband, Norman Taggs, who passed away in 2014.

Visitation will take place 2-4 p.m., Sunday, August 15, 2021, at Speaks Suburban Chapel, 18020 East 39th Street, Independence, Missouri. Graveside service will be at 10 a.m., Monday, August 16, 2021, and will take place at Koger Cemetery, 9009 Corn Road, Oak Grove, Missouri. Roxie loved yellow roses, but in lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her honor to Missouri Baptist Children’s Home (20509 State Highway J, Peculiar, Missouri 64078 or mbch.org).