Dorothy Irene Taylor

On January 4, 2013, Dorothy Rail Taylor passed from this life. Born on May 9, 1919, in Murrieta, California, she grew up on a small farm in the hot, dry country of Riverside County. Her parents were Otis Ross Rail and Hazel (Thompson) Rail. Dorothy had three siblings, Kathleen, Martha Jane and Clarence. Martha Jane died in 1923 of hydrocephaly at age 3 ½.

Dorothy learned to sew at a very young age, beginning a life-long passion for textile arts. At age 7, she won a blue ribbon at the Riverside County fair for an embroidered dress. In her senior year of high school, she transferred to high school in Los Angeles, to establish residency required to attend the Frank Wiggins Trade School. After a few months there, the money ran short and she returned to Murrieta. She married Frank Taylor, of Wildomar, California, on Christmas Day, 1938. Sons Calvin, Philip and Richard arrived between 1940 and 1943.

In 1946, the family moved to Lakeview, Oregon, where they farmed for ten years. In that time, Dorothy sold Watkins household products, Avon cosmetics and Realsilk clothing to farm families across Lake County. Dorothy also worked for two years with optometrist Don Schuman. During that those years, she continued her sewing and also weaving. In 1956, the family moved to Eugene, Oregon, so Frank could attend the University of Oregon. Dorothy again worked for two optometrists in Eugene.

Over later years, she also sold a variety of products from home. She did custom sewing for local stores and completed a comprehensive correspondence course in hand-weaving from Harriet Tidball. Over several years, she baby-sat young children, dealt with college room-and-boarders and expanded her textile repertoire into quilting. After Frank retired, they traveled to Puerto Rico and Japan and made many long automobile trips in the US. Frank died in 1992 and Dorothy moved to Olympia, Washington a year later.

There, she was an active member of the Olympia Quilters Guild and the Needle Arts Guild of Puget Sound, for many years. In 2009, due to declining health, she sold her house and moved into A Place Called Home, a lovely adult home run by Daniela and Dan Vicovan. Their loving care and attention made her final years comfortable and secure. She is survived by her sons and their wives, two granddaughters and one great granddaughter. Dorothy will be buried in the family plot in Wildomar, California, completing the circle of her life. Final arrangements were done by Mills and Mills, in Tumwater, WA.

In lieu of flowers, a donation to Smile Train, which helps poor children get surgery for cleft palates, would be gratefully accepted.