Obituary of Patricia Cherie Taylor

Patricia Cherie Taylor was born on August 16, 1926 in Chicago, the second daughter of Hester Elizabeth Coyne and Arnold James Coyne. Together with her sister Peggy she enjoyed a happy childhood in the leafy suburb of Oak Park, Illinois. Her father was Vice-President of Human Resources at Morton Salt & Company and she loved to meet his commuter train when he came home from work every week-day. Hester was the only mother amongst her friends who drove an automobile and often took Patricia and her friends on adventurous excursions. Among the many adventures Patricia enjoyed with her mother and sister Peggy were trips into downtown Chicago for window-shopping and high tea at The Palmer House. Her growing up years included piano, dance and tennis lessons, and best friends Connie, Jo and Dot who she remained close to throughout her lifetime. She attended DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, where she was the social secretary of her sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Engineering and a minor in Theology. She attended the same Oak Park primary school as her future husband Howard Taylor. They were wed on April 15, 1950 and were married for sixty-five years. Together they raised five children in Sleepy Hollow, Illinois, and later in St. Germain, Wisconsin. After their children left home they divided their time between Arizona and their home in Eagle Harbor in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on the shores of Lake Superior. She was an intrepid “handyman” and once fixed a malfunctioning hotel sink in Kansas City with a pair of pliers she pulled out of her suitcase. Patricia was preceded in death by her husband Howard in 2015 and spent her last years near one of her beloved children in Chanhassen, Minnesota. She is survived by her five children, Barbara (Alex), Michael (Diann), David (Sue), Kathryn (Bill), Laura, and thirteen grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. She was a remarkable woman with a lion-hearted spirit. She passed peacefully away May 13, 2021 at the age of 94 with her children by her side.

A private memorial service will be held at a later date in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In lieu of flowers, those so inclined could consider making a donation in her honor to Boys Town or to the Disabled American Veterans.