TAYLOR, Karen

Karen Alexander Taylor, 76, of Pendleton, Ore., died at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland, Wash., on Sept. 14, 2012. A graveside service of remembrance will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, at Pine Haven Cemetery in Halfway, Ore. Karen was born Oct. 28, 1935, in Halfway at Rita Motley’s home. She was raised in the Pine and Eagle Valleys. On Christmas Eve, 1953, she married William (Bill) Floyd Taylor, whom she had known since their grade school days. They were married in the Christian Church in Halfway, and spent New Year’s Eve in the train depot in Chicago on their way to Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss. After living in Biloxi and San Diego, Calif., she moved with her family to Richland, Ore., where she managed the Eagle Telephone System. In 1965, Karen and her family moved to Pendleton, Oregon. Karen worked at St. Anthony Hospital for 33 years until her retirement in 1999 as the Controller. She enjoyed such activities as traveling and antiquing, and anything that involved her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Karen is survived by her husband Bill; her daughter Tonya Taylor Rogers (Larry); her daughter Xandra Taylor McKeown (Joseph); and her son William (Bill) Babe Taylor (Nita); her six grandchildren, Brett (Sara), Stephen (Aubrey), Andrea, Chase, Christopher, and Wyatt; and her two great-grandchildren, Taylor and Emmett. She was preceded in death by her parents, V. W. (Babe) and Evelyn Audrey Wyatt Alexander; her brother Donald Taylor Alexander; her sister-in-law Kolesta Mills Alexander, and her grandson Geoffrey. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to St. Anthony Hospital Foundation; St. Mary’s Outreach; Pine Haven Beautification Fund; or the charity of choice through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home, PO Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834 The Record-Courier 27 September 2012