Ms. Barbara Lois Taylor, 66, of New Church, passed away peacefully Monday, April 22, 2019, at Peninsula Regional Medical Center after a very courageous and hard-fought battle with cancer.
Born April 13, 1953, she was the daughter of the late Agnes Bull Taylor and Eldred Marshall Taylor of Sign Post.
Barbara is survived by her sisters, Margaret Ann Miles, of Manassas, Va., and Janet Cope (Dave), of McLean, Va.; her brother, Don Taylor (Lynn), of Salisbury, Md.; her sister-in-law, Rosalie Daley (Bill), of Onancock; her nieces, Jenny Haga, of Lynchburg, Va., Lynne Carter (Ryan), of St. Augustine, Fla., Caroline Cope, of Arlington, Va., Stacey Taylor (Curtis), of Salisbury, Md., and Molly Taylor, of Orlando, Fla.; her nephews, Chris Miles, of Sign Post, Andrew Cope (Karen), of Reston, Va., and Ken Taylor (Amberly), of Baltimore, Md.; her great-nieces Delaney (Ronnie) Taylor, of Atlantic, Virginia Haga, of Lynchburg, Va., Sydney Taylor, of Snow Hill, Md., Lily Miles, of Gargatha, and Sally Carter, of St. Augustine, Fla.; her great-nephews Ben Ross, of Kingston, Pa. , Miles Carter, of St. Augustine, Fla., and Taylor Cope, of Reston, Va.; and her great-great-nephew, Camden Wilkinson, of Atlantic. She is also survived by her aunt, Frances Belote, and many beloved cousins and friends. She was predeceased by her brother, Tommy Taylor; her brother-in-law, Jimmy Miles; and her nephew, Brian Taylor.
She graduated from Atlantic High School in 1971 and from Madison College (now JMU) in 1975. Her teaching career began at Northampton High School in 1975, where she taught Home Economics for five years and coached the cheerleading squad. In 1980, she moved to Accomack County, where she taught Home Economics, which evolved to Family and Consumer Science, for a total of 19 years at Mary Nottingham Smith Middle School and Arcadia High School. She was passionate and intentional in her lessons of food preparation and presentation, etiquette, and being thoughtful and generous with your time, leaving a lasting impression on countless students with many regaling her years later of what a difference she made in their lives and in their homes.
Ms. Taylor was also employed by Lankford Sysco and Sandler Foods in the food service industry. In addition, she had her own catering business where she quickly established a sought-after reputation for incredibly delicious food and a keen eye for beautiful presentations. While she created many amazing dishes and desserts, she was famous for her chocolate chip cookies, yeast rolls and cheesecakes.
Ms. Taylor was reared in and was an active member of Sign Post United Methodist Church. Her funeral will be held there Saturday, April 27, 2019, with a viewing at 10 a.m. and service at 11 a.m., with the Rev. Barbara Parker officiating. Interment will follow at Remson United Methodist Church Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to New Church Volunteer Fire & Rescue, P.O. Box 218, New Church, VA 23415; Greenbackville Volunteer Fire Department, P.O. Box, P.O. 156, Greenbackville, VA 23356; the Gary Sinise Foundation, P.O. Box 368, Woodland Hills, CA 91365 (www.garysinisefoundation.org/donate/); or to Sign Post UMC, P.O. Box 5, Greenbackville, VA 23356.
Memory tributes may be shared with the family at www.williamsfuneralhomes.com
Arrangements were made by the Williams-Parksley Funeral Home.