Triska Ashley Drake

Triska Ashley Drake, who died on April 19, 2026, at her home in Atlanta, was a unique and singular woman. She moved with ease between intellectual rigor and practical skill: She produced an original work of scholarship on the Northern Renaissance master Jan van Eyck, yet also took quiet satisfaction in changing the oil in her car, mowing her lawn, and tending a vegetable garden.

Triska was possessed with a natural beauty and a flair for the unique and unconventional. She was known for making a dramatic appearance at the opera or symphony after completing a difficult and dirty job in the garden.

Triska was born on March 29, 1944, in Marfa, Texas, long before it became a cultural epicenter, a coincidence that seems in retrospect entirely fitting for someone whose life would later reflect both creativity and independence. She was the daughter of Carolyn Drake Head and Jackson Young Head, a jet test pilot in the Air Force stationed in Marfa during World War II. Both of her parents hailed from Rockmart, Georgia, and later returned there to raise their family.

It was in Rockmart that Triska spent much of her childhood climbing trees, riding her bicycle, and swimming in the “blue holes” left from mined rock quarries. Her paternal grandparents, Dr. E. L. Head and Mary Young Head, and her maternal grandparents, Carolyn Ashley Drake and DeLeon Weist Drake, lived nearby and were important influences in her life.

The family later moved to Carrollton, where her father assumed management of the family Ford dealership following the death of her grandfather. Triska graduated from Carrollton High School, where her talent in art, design, and decorating became evident.

Triska married at an early age and, in time, welcomed her son, Thomas Drake Loftin (“Tay”). She navigated an early divorce and continued her education at West Georgia College while raising Tay, supporting them through secretarial work at the college. She graduated with a double major in Art and English and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

With a scholarship for graduate study at the University of Georgia, Triska and Tay moved to Athens, where she earned a master’s degree in Art History, concentrating on the Northern Renaissance and publishing her thesis on Jan van Eyck.

Triska was awarded a fellowship for graduate study at Emory University’s Institute for the Liberal Arts and moved to Atlanta to pursue a doctorate in Art History. In addition to following a grueling academic program, she supported herself and Tay by teaching at Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Oglethorpe University, and the Atlanta College of Art.

After completing the doctoral coursework, she chose not to proceed with a dissertation, concluding that an academic career was not for her.

While at Emory, she met Kim Taylor, an Atlanta lawyer who shared her interests in art, opera, classical music, and outdoor adventure. After five years of “getting to know each other,” Kim finally persuaded Triska to give up her independence and marry. She agreed on the condition that the marriage take place in Italy, her favorite country for its art, architecture, scenic natural beauty, and, not least, its cuisine and wine. After cutting through mountains of red tape, the ceremony was held in Verona (the fictional home of Romeo and Juliet), on October 2, 1981.

Kim’s law practice involved frequent travel to London, and Triska often joined him, engaging fully in both the social and personal dimensions of his firm’s international work. In addition, they traveled extensively, including a three-month self-guided “Grand Tour” of continental Europe and numerous excursions throughout the United Kingdom. They also explored destinations around the world, including Greece, Egypt, India, China, Peru, Thailand, Ireland, South Africa, Myanmar, Mexico, and Cuba.

They traveled widely within the United States as well, often with their children. One memorable trip included a two-week journey through the Grand Canyon by rowboat, where Triska embraced the experience fully and came to appreciate the meaning of “roughing it.”

Triska is survived by her husband, George Kimbrough Taylor, Jr.; her son, Thomas Drake Loftin of Golden, Colorado; her stepsons, George Kimbrough Taylor III and his wife, Ally May Taylor, and Thomas Haynes Taylor and his wife, Karen O’Leary Taylor. She is also survived by three grandchildren, Caroline Cabery Taylor, Emily Cooke Taylor, and Natalie Kent Taylor. She was preceded in death by her grandson, Thomas Haynes Cooper Taylor.

She is also survived by her sister, Nelia Rivers, with whom she shared a special and enduring relationship. Nelia was present and supportive during the later years of Triska’s life and remained a steady companion during a time when care and consistency were most needed, staying by her side as Triska endured the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease. The two shared a quiet understanding and a way of communicating that often required few words.

Triska’s unique personality and character are perhaps best illustrated by the “folly” she erected in her back garden, a seventeen-foot-tall replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was whimsical, dramatic, and distinctly Italian, qualities that reflected a truly singular woman. She was an original, with a deep appreciation for beauty and a natural gift for color and design, expressed in both the way she lived and the spaces she created.

In lieu of flowers, Triska would have loved for you to visit a local art gallery or spend time creating something beautiful in your garden.