Vera “Jean” Taylor “beloved wife, mother, and grandmother”
CERES, Pa.- Vera “Jean” Taylor, 88, of Ceres, passed away
with her loving husband by her side on Wednesday, October 24, 2018, in the
Olean General Hospital, Olean, N.Y., after a short illness.
Born on July 23, 1930 in Erie, she was the daughter of
George W. and Elva Buss Saeger. On July
12, 1953, in the Ceres United Methodist Church, she married Glenn “Don” Taylor,
who survives.
In 1948, Jean graduated from Bolivar Central School and
later graduated from Buffalo State College.
For several years, Jean was the Home Economics teacher at Portville
Central School. She left teaching to
become the office manager of the family business, Taylor Excavating in Ceres,
which later incorporated to become Taylor & Armstrong Contracting in
Eldred. In 1978, Don and Jean left
Taylor & Armstrong Contracting to resume their business, Don Taylor
Excavating, while still remaining good friends with the Armstrong family.
Jean was a longtime member of the Ceres United Methodist
Church where she graciously served the Lord as a Sunday School teacher,
Vacation Bible School teacher, and Arts & Crafts teacher, all while serving
on various committees. She also enjoyed
playing the piano during Church services on Sundays. Jean was also an active member of the Ceres
Community Center, where she put in countless hours organizing and working the
annual Ham & Leek and Harvest dinners. She was also an active member of the
Oswayo Valley Historical Society in Shinglehouse, having served as curator for
many years. Jean was also the
chairperson of the Shinglehouse Food Cupboard, putting in selfless hours to
ensure the community was served well.
She was also an active member of the Bolivar 4 C’s Senior Center in
Bolivar for several years. Jean was an
honored 50 year member of the Tyler Mizpah Chapter 97 Order of the Eastern Star
in Portville.
Jean was a truly caring person, always thinking of others
first. She loved the outdoors. You could find her tooling around in her golf
cart tending to her flowers and garden.
She truly loved bird watching; she was always looking up species in her
book. She hung hummingbird feeders
around her porch where she would sit for hours watching them come and go. Jean was an avid reader, always carrying a
book with her. Jean was also very fond
of animals, especially her dog, Felix.
Surviving besides her husband of 65 years are two sons,
Gregory “Greg” (Lynne) Taylor of York and Christopher “Chris” Taylor of
Richmond, Va.; a daughter, Denee (Timothy) Graham of Waldorf, MD; eight
grandchildren, Brian (Cerese) Holes, Richard “Ritchie” Holes, Grant Taylor,
Alyson (Justin) Doty, Derek (Dana) Taylor, Danielle Taylor, Natasha (Jason
Carr) Taylor, and Kegan (Mike Gustin) Wilson; twelve great-grandchildren; and
three great-great-grandchildren.
In addition to her parents, Jean was predeceased by a
daughter-in-law, Laurie Taylor.
Family and friends may call from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.
on Sunday at the Virgil L. Howard Funeral Home, 118 South Union Street,
Shinglehouse and from 10 to 11 a.m. on Monday, October 29, 2018, at the Ceres
United Methodist Church, where funeral services will follow with the Rev.
Preston L. Hutchins, Jr., pastor, officiating. Burial will be in Evergreen
Cemetery, Ceres.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Jean’s name to
the Ceres United Methodist Church, c/o 2905 Kings Run Road, Shinglehouse, PA
16748 or to a charity of the donor’s choice.
Jean’s family has entrusted her care to Kevin J. Dusenbury,
funeral director/owner of the Virgil L. Howard Funeral Home, Shinglehouse.
To express condolences, share a fond memory or view a video
tribute, please visit www.virgillhowardfuneralhome.com.