Obituary of Anne L. Taylor

Anne and her siblings, brother George and sister Bettie, grew up in this happy neighborhood surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. In addition to her grandparents, George and Anna Whiteley, the neighbors included the families of Joseph and Evelyn Whiteley, Norman and Viola Whiteley, Mildred and George Cooper, Edna and George Cullis, Jenny and Lawrence Pyle, Ella and Joseph Dwyer, and Anna and Willard Veasey.

In the summer the cousins played together from one yard to the next enjoying games like Hide and Seek and Run Sheepy Run. Christmas was especially joyous when shared with her extended family. Anne remembers having Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve because the cousins always spend most of Christmas Day going from house to house to see everyone's presents.

Anne attended Washington Grammar School from I^st to 8^th grade. The school was located at the corner of Edgemont Ave. and Brookhaven Road, where the Walgreens Pharmacy now stands. It was not a long walk from home to school. However, Anne found a way to add some adventure to the trip. She often took a short-cut across an empty lot. The one problem was that the lot was rather swampy. She would pretend to be a little frog crossing the field by hopping from one tuft of grass to the next. One day when she arrived home, her mother asked why her shoes were wet. Anne had no idea! The next day Mother was watching out the window as Anne took her short-cut. The mystery was solved and Mother was waiting at the door with the strap when Anne arrived home. She never took that short-cut again, and her mother didn't have to use the strap!

The one shadow over Anne's childhood was her father's illness. He had been injured and gassed while fighting in World War 1. The injury occurred while he was crawling through enemy lines to deliver a message to the front. He suffered the effects for the rest of his life. When he was no longer able to work, he raised chickens in their yard to provide food for the family. He also loved flowers, a love he passed on to Anne. People would stop by their house just to admire his flower gardens. After a prolonged illness, he passed away when Anne was in 11th grade. Anne attended Nether Providence High School for grades 9 to 12 and graduated with honors in 1941. After graduation she worked as a secretary and then as a bookkeeper.

Growing up and throughout her adult years, Anne attended church regularly. She faithfully attended summer Bible School at Third Presbyterian Church in Chester, PA, under the ministry of Dr. Abraham Latham. Every summer the church provided 5 weeks of children's Bible School, complete with homework and report cards, which gave the students a sound foundation of Biblical training. It was at Third Presbyterian that Anne became friends with Mildred Taylor, who introduced Anne to her brother, Herbert, and a romance blossomed. After Herb graduated from Chester High School, he was employed at the Sun Ship Wetherill Plant in Chester, where he served his apprenticeship and was rated as a first class machinist. Shortly after Anne and Herb were engaged to be married, World War 2 intervened, and Herb enlisted in the Navy. He was stationed in the Aleutian Islands doing reconnaissance as an aerial photographer. When he came home from the war, they were married on May 4, 1946. Herb returned to his job at Sun Ship and they settled into their first home, a small apartment in Anne's mother's house on Grandview Avenue where Anne grew up. Two years later, on February 29, 1948, their first son, John, was born. 

When the Korean Conflict broke out, Herb was called back into the service. In spite of working for a defense contractor, being married with one child and a second on the way, and being in the middle of building a house, he could not get a deferment. He was stationed in Japan as a photographer during the war. Anne was left to oversee the building of their new home on Williamson Avenue in Brookhaven. Their second son, Herbert, was born on December 1, 1950. She told Herb when he came home that he hadn't been the only one at war. While he was gone, she had built a house and had a baby.

Even though the house was not quite finished, Anne was determined to celebrate Christmas in their own home. They moved in on Christmas Eve 1951. In the ensuing years their home was filled with much happiness and love. Sadly, Anne's husband Herb passed away in January 1980. Anne continued to live in their home until December 2020, for a total of 70 years. She was known by all as kind neighbor and a gracious hostess. Her home was always open for company, whether for a meal or an extended stay.

In December 2020, at the age of 98, Anne moved next door to live with her son and daughter-in-law, John and Betty Taylor. She continues to enjoy an active life: sending handmade cards and notes to many friends and relatives, encouraging others with phone calls, attending church and taking an occasional shopping trip. God has blessed Anne with a long and fulfilling life, and He has also blessed all those who have had the privilege of knowing her.

Visitation: Saturday, January 17th after 10:00AM at North Chester Baptist Church, 2331 Providence Ave Chester, PA 19013.

Funeral Service: Saturday, January 17th at 11:00AM at the church.

Interment was held at Edgewood Memorial Park.