Obituary of Irene B. Taylor

To her friends and colleagues, she will always be “Mrs. T.” Irene was both in San Mateo, California on February 19, 1928. She lived with her mother Adeline, father Charles, and brother Wesley, in Redwood City, California. She graduated from Sequoia High School in 1946. Irene enjoyed participating in sports and lettered in tennis and badminton. In 1947, she married Arthur Wilson Taylor; who had been a United States Army Air Force pilot during World War II. They had four children: Anne, Jeff, Kit and Patricia. Irene and Arthur loved animals and encouraged their kids to have a variety of pets – including dogs, cats, reptiles, chickens, sheep, rabbits, mice, rats, guinea pigs, birds and even a chinchilla! In the 1950s and 1960s, Irene attended Seminary to become a Sunday school teacher; then went on to be a preschool teacher at various schools, including Head Start. During that time, she worked with Teresa Escobedo and developed a life-long friendship with her and her family. Sadly, Arthur died in May 1967 – and Irene was left to raise three teenagers and a toddler on her own. But, they never went hungry and held multiple jobs to provide for them. It also meant that the family had to move often – occasionally finding “interesting” housing. She fondly called two of them “junk house” and “falling down house.” (as they were marked for future demolition) But, no matter what dis-repair these homes where in, she always managed to fix them up to be clean and comfortable, something that her daughter Pat has always admired about her mom. From the late 1960s to early 1970s, Irene worked at the Redwood City Tribune. The family then moved to Palo Alto, California, where Jeff and she were able to purchase a condominium together. Irene took great pride in being a homeowner again. Irene, Kit and Pat moved to Milwaukie, Oregon in 1975 to live with Anne and her husband Michael Johnson. She enjoyed spending time with her grandsons, Aaron and Timothy. Tim has great memories of their many bus-riding trips as they fondly called them, “Bus Work.” Aaron enjoyed going to the beach with her. From late 1970s to 1980s, Irene worked for non-profit agencies, as a Senior Service Manager at Loaves & Fishes and in the Emergency Assistance program at Friendly House. During this time, she also devoted countless hours to volunteer with Meals & Wheels and any other cause that came her way. Irene was a life-time learner, beginning her college education in 1957 at San Jose state, studying Early Childhood Education. She returned again in 1967. In 1983, Irene completed her AA degree in Gerontology at Clackamas Community College. While at CCC, she worked as a Peer Counselor in the Career Placement Center; helping fellow students look for employment. Irene had a big heart, and in spite of her own struggles, she often opened her home up to others in need. She was a survivor – she beat breast cancer in the early 90s. She loved camping, trips to the beach, gardening, music and theatre. Pat and her husband, Scott, remember going with Irene to numerous concerts in the park and to see the Harlem Globetrotters for one of her birthdays. But, what we all miss about Irene is her wonderful, spontaneous sense of humor. Her family often giggled when she mispronounced names, like “Barbara Striesdale” (for Barbara Streisand) and “Eva Macabee” (for Reba McIntyre). She also loved to give nicknames to people she was fond of, like “Jocko & Moneybags” (for Jeff), “Gooner” (for Anne), “Bones” (for Kit) and “Peepers” (for Pat). “Goodnight, Irene”… you were a wonderful role model and mentor. We all take comfort in knowing you will always be watching over us.... Service Information