Beverly Anne Bailey Taylor

Beverly Anne Bailey Taylor died on the morning of March 16. She was a classic gracious southern lady. Beverly was a native Atlantan, born in 1917, whose roots in the city go back to 1827. She was the daughter of May Garvey and Albert Heery Bailey whose house sat on the corner of Peachtree and Piedmont Roads until 1956. She attended North Avenue Presbyterian School and Washington Seminary where she was president of her sorority Pi Phi and a member of Pirates. Beverly attended Sweet Briar College in Virginia and Finch College in New York. She was vice president of the 1936-1937 Atlanta Debutante Club. In 1939 she attended the premier of Gone With The Wind and danced with Clark Gable at the ball. In 1941, she met Elliott Ray Taylor, a Virginian stationed at Fort Benning. They married and very shortly thereafter he was shipped overseas. During the war, Captain Taylor became an aide to General George Patton. After the war, they eventually settled in Atlanta and had three children: Elliott Ray Jr., May Bailey (Howell Hollis III), and Richard Coles (Alex Weir). In 1954 Beverly was featured in an article and on the cover of The Atlanta Constitution Magazine for being the first lady jury foreman in Georgia. During the ensuing years, Beverly enjoyed her life in Atlanta with her many friends and doing volunteer work with the Junior League. She also served as president of the Iris Garden Club. Beverly Taylor was a wonderful, warm loving person toward her friends. She was the embodiment of unconditional love toward her family and could very well be called the best mother one could have. In addition to raising three children, she took care of her mother in her elderly years, building a house with a wing for her to live in. Beverly enjoyed traveling and took many trips with her son Ray to Highlands and Ormond Beach, Florida. She celebrated her 80th birthday in Paris and her 85th in New York. She loved eating dinner before the fire at the Piedmont Driving Club as well as other Buckhead favorites such as Jalisco's and Chops. She was beloved by all who knew her and adored by her three children and six grandchildren - Howell Hollis IV, Katherine Johnson (McKay), Taylor Hollis, William Hollis, Cole Taylor, and Bailey Taylor. She was predeceased by her sister Jeanette Bailey Maddox. The family is very grateful to her loyal companion and caregiver, Laverne Jeffries. The memorial service will be held Thursday, March 19, at 11 o'clock in the morning at the Cathedral of St. Philip with a reception following. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Cathedral, the Historic Oakland Foundation, or the charity of your choice.