Gloria June Taylor, daughter of Daisy and Clarence Bellinger, passed away peacefully at Sparrow Hospice, Lansing, Michigan on November 11, 2021 from an infection complicated by Lymphoma. Born in 1929, Gloria was a native of Chatham, Ontario, Canada. She attended the University of Western Ontario and graduated with a Master's Degree in Biology. She came to Michigan to work at the Detroit Institute for Cancer Research in 1953. While living in Detroit she met and married Fred Taylor in 1955 and raised three children in the Detroit area.
In 1976, Gloria became a naturalized citizen of the United States. That same year, after her divorce, she moved to East Lansing, Michigan. She worked for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources as a Water Quality Specialist for over 20 years, with a focus on environmental quality. Monitoring water discharged by waste-water plants, Gloria oversaw companies such as Dow Chemical and Total Petroleum. She was proud of being the first woman hired to do field work for the DNR, paving the way for many women to follow in her footsteps.
Since her retirement in 1997, Gloria served on The Friends of East Lansing's Board of Directors for the Seniors' Program and served as secretary for seven years. She enjoyed participating with her friends in the many classes offered through the Senior Center, including painting and Book Club. Gloria was an avid gardener and she also volunteered as a docent at the MSU gardens. She was also treasurer of the East Lansing's Women's Club. As a long-standing member of All Saints Episcopal Church she found great joy in being a member of the Altar Guild and its knitting group. Gloria was a great lover of classical music and dogs and she loved to knit, sew and build miniature doll houses.
She enjoyed world travel as a hobby, visiting England, Scotland, Belgium, France, Greece, Spain and Cuba in 2016. She traveled extensively throughout the United States, including a trip to visit the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Minnesota. She delighted in family reunions over the last few years in northern Michigan always cherishing the time of "being together as a family."
She is survived by her daughter Susan Brown of Plymouth, Michigan, daughter Barbara Taylor of Minneapolis, Minnesota, son Fred Taylor (Cheryl) of Beulah, Michigan, grandson Kai Taylor of Raleigh, North Carolina, granddaughter Olivia Taylor of Minneapolis, Minnesota, cousins, nieces and nephews and many friends. She is preceded in death by her parents and her brothers Richard ("Dick") Bellinger and David Bellinger.
A Memorial Service will be held at All Saints Episcopal Church in East Lansing, Michigan on December 11th at 11:00 a.m. A one hour family visitation will be held before the service. In lieu of flowers our family asks that donations be made in Gloria's memory to your favorite charity.
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