Jean Ione Taylor

Jean was born in Collbran, Colorado to Paul and Cookie Williams on June 11, 1946. Nestled at the foot of Grand Mesa, Little Creek Ranch where Jean grew up was filled with hard work and adventure. Jean and her sister Verlene rode a horse nearly 3 miles to the country school every day. At the ranch there were always chores to do, including milking cows, feeding chickens and pigs and as she got older, cutting and raking hay. In the winter the whole family enjoyed skiing at the small ski area they had built on their property. Verlene and Jean enjoyed skiing so much that after graduating from high school they moved to Aspen and became ski instructors for the Aspen Skiing Corporation. Jean also took up dirt bike riding and competed in motocross races. After divorcing her first husband, Jean and her son moved back to Collbran, where Jean became a cook and a school bus driver at the school. Her no-nonsense policy on the bus earned her the nickname “Mean Jean”. A few years after moving to Collbran, she met Tom Taylor and they were married in 1984. They raised cattle and Jean continued to work at the school. In 1996 Tom and Jean moved to Callao, Missouri where they built up a beautiful cattle ranch. Jean enjoyed gardening, painting, hunting and being outside with the livestock. Jean was preceded in death by her parents Paul and Cookie Williams and her husband Tom Taylor. She is survived by her sister Verlene (Frank) Dix , nieces Kama (Todd) Farington and family, Tanya (TJ) Gately and family, son Ira (Patty) Edstrom and grandson Ivan Edstrom.

Services will be held at 11:00 am, March 15th at the Collbran Congregational Church.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Hope West.