Marion L. Taylor

Marion L. Taylor, 92, of Topeka, passed away on Saturday, July 21, 2018.

Marion L. Taylor went to be with her Lord July 21, 2018. She was born August 1, 1925 near Mason City Nebraska, to Elizabeth Nicholas Eloe and John Otto Eloe. Two years later, they moved to the comfortable five-bedroom farmhouse in Ansley that would be the site of many family gatherings for the next 40 years.
When Marion was nine years old, her 16-year-old brother, Richard, was paralyzed from the neck down as a result of a swimming accident. As her parents cared for him at home until his death nine months later, she and her 12-year-old brother, Robert, did the chores together, entertained themselves and became best friends as well as siblings.

In 1943, Marion was graduated from Ansley High School, where she was a cheerleader and a member of various musical groups. Her yearbook photo caption described her as "gorgeous, glamorous, and gee, what a gal." She started her freshman year at Kearney State a week after Robert left for England to serve in World War II. His death that December left a void in her life that was never filled.

The following year, she transferred to the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. There she met James S. Taylor, a pilot from Garden City, Kansas who was attending NU on a football scholarship, on a blind date. They were married in First Baptist Church in Lincoln, Nebraska on June 8, 1947, and Jim became a much-loved member of her family. Their two daughters, Christine Ann and Julie Louise, were born in Lincoln.

In 1951, Jim was recalled to active duty at Mitchel Field in New York. Through college and base connections he and Marion enjoyed seats with the wives of players at Yankee Stadium and tickets to Broadway shows and performances at Madison Square Garden. Marion and the girls returned to Ansley while Jim was in Korea, then joined him in the Chicago area while he taught ROTC at Illinois Institute of Technology. After completing an aircraft commander course, Jim became an RB-47 pilot with the Strategic Air Command stationed at Forbes Air Force Base in Topeka. During Jim's many temporary duty assignments overseas, Marion took on all of the household and family responsibilities as well as serving as source of information and comfort to wives of his crew members.

Jim and Marion were active members of Crestview United Methodist Church, where she served as a secretary and treasurer for the Sunday school and volunteer with United Methodist Women for many years. She was an excellent bridge player, and played with Jim in a duplicate club for more than 40 years in addition to several long-standing women's clubs. She served as the first secretary of the Mulvane Art Museum Women's Board, as a Girl Scout leader and volunteer, and Officers Wive's Club and PTA officer.

She was active in Kansans for Nebraska, and the Ansley and Nebraska Alumni Associations.
Marion loved to travel and fulfilled dreams to go abroad after Jim retired. She was the first family member to visit brother Robert's grave in Holland, and went to Wales with 18 cousins for a reunion with relatives of their Welsh grandfather. She and Jim enjoyed watching sports of all kinds, especially at the college level, both live and on television. She followed Kansas State University, where her daughters went to school, but she LOVED cheering for her Huskers.

She kept in touch with classmates, former neighbors, church, military and coffee shop friends, and dozens of her relatives as well as Jim's. They all received personal, hand-written letters for Christmas and other occasions.

Marion was preceded in death by her husband, Jim, her parents, and two brothers. She leaves to mourn her passing her daughters Chris Belden (Brian) and Julie Taylor; grandchildren, Christopher and Ben Perdue and Elizabeth and Brad Belden (Jordan), and a sister, Theodocia Bergstrom (Ted.)

Services will be 11 a.m. Saturday, August 4, at Crestview United Methodist Church, 2245 SW Eveningside Drive, Topeka, KS 66614, with visitation from 9:30-10:30 a.m. at the church. A light lunch will follow services.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Crestview United Methodist Church, or to the Ansley High School Alumni Scholarship Foundation, 822 Noble Street, Ansley, NE, 68814-2426.

The family would like to thank Dr. Ed Wood, her physician and friend, Brad and Kathy Warren and the wonderful staff at Brookdale Topeka for their care and compassion.

Dove Southwest Chapel is assisting the family. To leave a special message please visit the guestbook below.