Freeda C. Taylor

Freeda Cline Taylor, age 96, formerly of Palestine, Illinois, died shortly before noon on June 19, 2009 at Southfield Village Extended Care in South Bend, IN near her three daughters. She was born November 14, 1912 in an adobe-sod house near Shattuck, OK. She was the third child of Winfield Jacob Cline and Emma Grace Warner, Oklahoma pioneers. She graduated from the public schools at Gage, OK in 1930 and then went to Enid General Hospital, Enid, OK, where she graduated and received her R.N. degree in 1933.In 1934 she went to Chicago and took post-graduate nursing courses at Cook County Hospital. She worked at Cook County and another hospital in Chicago as a nurse supervisor until 1937. While there, she met a medical student, John R. Taylor, and they married on July 26, 1936 near Freeda's family home in Gage, OK. They lived in Chicago until 1937 when they returned to John's hometown, Palestine, IL, where he established a medical practice with his father, Dr. O.G. Taylor. Freeda worked as the office nurse for 50 years. She shared the happiest times with many families in the area, as well as cried with them in their saddest times. In some cases, she and her husband were involved with four generations of a family throughout her 50 years of duty. Freeda and John were married over 69 years until his death on October 30, 2005.Freeda loved her profession and loved people. She accepted Christ as her Savior while she was a teenager and was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Palestine for 71 years, joining in 1937. She was a member of the Current Topics Club since 1937 and considered all the members, past and present, as special friends. Freeda loved to cook and fed some people without familes in Palestine on holidays when the restaurants were closed. Freeda was always a builder. Over the years she changed a five room house into nine rooms, designed the office of her husband, complete with drawing up the blue-prints, and served as general contractor to oversee its construction. She traveled extensively throughout the United States with her husband, John, where a railroad or boat would go because John wouldn’t fly. She flew with her sister-in-law, Connie Cline, to several countries in Europe, and they went to Russia during the cold war when it was considered quite adventurous. In her last three years in South Bend Freeda's greatest joy was her eight great-grandbabies who could always light up her eyes. She loved to play Bingo and to attend Bible study at the nursing home.Surviving are her three daughters: Helen Taylor Hibbs, Mary Taylor Short, and Barbara Taylor Golba with husband Thomas Golba, all of South Bend, IN. Also surviving are Barbara's three children, their spouses, and children: Amy and Michael Haun with Meisha, Madison, and Brady of Granger, IN; Gabriel and Jessica Golba with Jacob, Andrew, and Allison of Evansville, IN; Abigail and Dr. Christopher Zielinski with Aleksey and Marko of Niles, MI. Additional survivors are her sister Agnes Cline Davis of Las Animas, Colorado, many nieces and nephews in Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas, and her special caregiver for many years in Palestine, Loretta Shanes. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, one brother-in-law Cecil Davis, and two brothers and sisters-in-law, Roe and Melissa Cline of Oklahoma City and John and Connie Cline of Enid, OK.The family would like to thank Freeda's many friends who supported her with their prayers and many cards and letters for holidays and birthday. She truly appreciated the frequent correspondence during her time at the nursing homes in South Bend and in Vincennes. They also want to thank the nurses, caregivers, and staff at Southfield Village for the loving, gentle, and supportive care given to Freeda and all of the family during her 36 month stay. The extra supportive services of Hospice and Pallative Care eased her last months in the nursing home.In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Palestine Academic Foundation, P.O.Box 217, Palestine, IL 62451, your local Salvation Army, or the Center for Hospice and Palliative Care, 111 Sunnybrook Ct, South Bend, IN 46637.Goodwine Funeral Home, Palestine, Illinois is in charge of arrangements. Visitation will be from 12-2p.m. prior to services scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, June 27th at the funeral home with Rev. Paul Phillips officiating. Internment is to be in the Palestine Cemetery next to her husband John.