Shirley Ward-Taylor

Shirley Ward Taylor, 96, of Robinson, IL, passed away on Friday, October 25th, 2024, at the Lakeland Rehab & Health Care Center in Effingham, IL. As Mothers always do, she helped us by composing the following "My First 80 Years" to read to guests at her 80th birthday celebration.

"I was born in Cutler, Illinois (a town smaller than Robinson and Flat Rock) on March 30th, 1928, to Ralph L. & Mary Shaw. There was a brother six years older (Melvin) and a sister two years younger than me (Mary Carolyn), deceased at age 5. The first 14 years of my life were spent there with many memories of grade school. My favorite teacher was the one who dragged us kicking and screaming to listen to classical music and to dance. I remember always being the last one chosen when we played ball and the humiliation of tripping on my costume in a Christmas pageant. On my 13th birthday, my mother (bless her heart) let me sprinkle talcum powder on the dining room floor so that we teenagers could dance. I was thrilled (in that Depression-era) to receive imitation Evening in Paris perfume and rat-tailed combs.

By 1942, World War II had started, and my father was working at various defense plants. The high school years were spent at four different schools, ranging from one in Oklahoma, two in St Louis, and graduating in 1946 from Sparta IL High School. Moving about made it difficult to acquire friends, but your clothes were new at each school, and the boys were new too!

To protect their only daughter, my parents sent me to Monmouth College (a Presbyterian College) in Monmouth, Illinois. We had chapel every day at 11:15 am, and the dorm mother patrolled the halls at night, making it difficult to sneak out. A good-looking Air Force veteran by the name of John Robert Ward was also a student there. After 2 years at Monmouth and summer school in Wisconsin, I taught 2nd grade in Savanna, Illinois.

In November of 1949, Bob and I were married. Several moves brought us to Robinson in 1953, and Bob began his 32 years with the Heath Candy Company. The 2-story white house at 307 S. Webster was the home our 4 sons (John, Rusty, Chuck, and Bill) knew from 1959 until 1978. It was the perfect location - close to town, two blocks from grade school, 2 blocks from church, three blocks from the Heath office, the big community lot (called the Deck Yard) for endless play, and neighbors kind enough not to tell on our sons till years later.

Our youngest son, Bill, will never forgive us for moving to Flat Rock the day after his senior prom in 1978. Most of our friends thought we were out of our minds, but it was the right decision. Bob happily planted huge gardens and took tons of vegetables to the Senior Center in Palestine. The worst decision we ever made was to raise Cornish Cross chickens. Heat lamps to keep them warm, fans to keep them cool and then came the whole process of getting them to the freezer. One year we decided to make it easier on ourselves and took them to a custom butchering place in Haubstadt, Indiana. Good idea, except while we were waiting our turn, the chickens got loose. It was not a pretty sight of chasing them through the streets! Bob Ward passed away in November 1995. Our families and friends were there for us.

The year of 1997 was a memorable one. What a thrill to ride in a glider and do a loop-the-loop in an open-cockpit biplane with a wonderful Flat Rock neighbor, Dave Schurr. A 6,000-mile trip in September meant following the Missouri River to its source in Three Fork's Montana, white water rafting, visiting Yellowstone Park, Grand Teton Park, the Black Hills, the Badlands, and many other things with another dear friend, Rose Harvey. The trip of a lifetime! The phone rang one evening in October. Bob Taylor was visiting his sister in Oblong and called to ask me out to dinner. As they say, the rest is history. We were married in Texas in 1998, spending 6 months there and 6 months in Flat Rock. It was a good life in both places. Many trips into Mexico, birding on South Padre Island, and much more. In Illinois, we watched deer come out of the woods, fished in the pond, and were with family, friends, and wonderful neighbors, including the Hoalt family (Ivan, Jo, Jon, Jackie, Jonna, and Jake).

Just after arriving in Texas for the winter of 2005, Bob Taylor took ill. The place in Texas was sold, we packed up and the last three months were spent at his daughter's home in Indianapolis, Indiana.

So once more, I was a widow and came back to Flat Rock full time. I love it here for many reasons. My neighbors, sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren take good care of me. Sometime I will need to leave here, but in the meantime, I have all of you, and life doesn't get much better! The Food Pantry and my church, Otterbein Methodist in Robinson, keep me busy. May God bless you all, and thanks for coming.

PS Besides this party, my family is giving me a hot air balloon ride. Isn't that great? I am so blessed!"

In 2016, Shirley sold her home on 6 acres in Flat Rock and moved "back to town" to Brookstone Estates of Robinson, where she made many new friends and was visited by many of her old ones. She shared her apartment with Holly, the cat, who made the isolation of Covid a bit more tolerable. After spending seven enjoyable years there, she moved to Lakeland in Effingham for additional care. We are grateful to both Brookstone and Lakeland for the love and care she received.

Shirley was active in her church and served her community in various roles, including "Hospitality Chair" for the Babe Ruth Regional Baseball Tournament! Shirley sold real estate while her boys were in college and was a talented crafter, decorator, and homemaker. Shirley's cooking was not just a mere routine but an expression of love. She delighted in entertaining and making delicious meals, cookies, pickles, pies, and more! She was happy to share any recipe—except for one—a standing joke amongst her beloved card club gals was that they had to wait for her funeral to finally get her "Secret Dip" recipe. Please help yourself to a copy as you leave the funeral home.

As we reflect on the fullness of her 96 years with us, we are reminded of the impact one life can have when lived with God-given purpose and love. Shirley's faith, constant smile, and great humor were a guiding light to many, and her legacy will continue to shine brightly in our hearts until, by the grace of God, we meet again!

She is survived by her sons, John (Chris), Rusty, Chuck (Susan), and Bill (Cindy), and her grandchildren, Ashley, Madison, Mandy, and Michael.

A time of visitation will be held from 1:00-2:00 p.m. on Monday, November 4th, at the Goodwine Funeral Home in Robinson. A funeral service will immediately follow and be held at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, with Pastor David Ducommon officiating. Memorial contributions may be made to "Otterbein United Methodist Church" in honor of her many faithful years there.

Burial will be in the Oak Grove Cemetery.