Mary Kathryn Taylor

Mary Kathryn Smith Taylor died on June 8, 2015, at the age of 88, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Mary Kathryn was born on August 20, 1926, in Lookout Mountain, TN to Ruth and William F. Smith. She attended Girls Preparatory School in Chattanooga and, in 1948, graduated summa cum laude from Randolph Macon Women’s College with a degree in history and Latin. In 1950, she married Ben L. Taylor, Jr. and they moved to Dalton, GA. There, Mary Kathryn was well known as a loving mother of four, a champion golfer, an engaging friend, and an active member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. In 1972, Mary Kathryn and Ben moved to the Florida Keys. For 10 years, they worked in commercial lobster fishing and later Mary Kathryn worked for 20 years on the business side of Key West theater. She enjoyed boating, fishing, and swimming and delighted in the natural beauty of the Keys; became an avid tennis player; gardened; built a rowing scull by hand; traveled extensively; welcomed family and friends to the Keys; and built and nurtured enduring friendships. Most importantly, Mary Kathryn spent those years as a dedicated communicant of Holy Innocents and St Paul’s Episcopal Churches, living out her faith as a tireless volunteer and activist for the homeless.
Mary Kathryn was a cherished wife, mother, sister, grandmother, and friend. She will be remembered and greatly missed for her independence and sense of adventure; her deep intelligence and habit of study; her willingness to meet challenges with thoughtfulness and perseverance; her quick wit and sense of humor; her Scotch-Irish practicality; her loyalty to her friends; her abiding love for her family; and her dedication to her faith and church,
Mary Kathryn is survived by three of her children, Susan W. Taylor Daphne Hall, Ben L. Taylor III, and Kathryn L. Taylor Marc Schwartz; a son-in-law, Anthony Kitsos; her grandsons, Tom and Sam Kitsos and Lewis and Ben Schwartz; and her sister-in-law, Cheryl Smith. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Edith H. Taylor; her husband, Ben L. Taylor, Jr.; and her brothers, William F. Smith and Stewart P. Smith.
A funeral service was held on June 13, 2015, at Emmaus House Chapel in Atlanta, with interment in St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Memorial Garden in Dalton, GA. Memorial donations may be made in Mary Kathryn’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association www.alz.org or St. Mary’s Soup Kitchen in Key West 2706 Flagler Ave., #12, Key West, FL 33040