Martha Taylor

Martha was born on February 11, 1938, in Coden, Alabama, to Francis Paul Esfeller and Annie Louise Myrick Esfeller. One of seven children, she grew up in the bayou country of south Alabama and learned to swim in the Gulf of Mexico off Dauphin Island. After graduating from a Catholic high school, she worked as a stenographer in Mobile, where she met and married Kenneth R. Taylor of Meridian, Mississippi. Together they left the bayou for Huntsville, where Ken’s NASA career made them part of the space race.

Martha was a wife, mother, grandmother, homemaker, income earner, daughter, sister, and friend, and she gave her whole heart to each of those roles. Her family will remember her most for her unending, unconditional love, along with her kindness, understanding, and humor. Through hard times she held her family steady, giving her children a loving and secure home and a foundation that shaped their lives.

Martha had a special place in her heart for the underdog. She worked tirelessly on behalf of animals, volunteering with A New Leash on Life and saving many from hunger and cold nights, and she deeply loved her family back home on the bayou. She had a joy and wonder about life that never left her, and she never met a stranger; she often got to know her son’s neighbors before he did.

She was preceded in death by her parents and siblings.

She is survived by her husband of 64 years, Kenneth R. Taylor; her three children, Melissa Walker (Mark), Roger Taylor (Kim), and Michael Taylor (Christy); her seven grandchildren, Caitlin Duykers (Xander), Paula Turner (Tilghman), Chris Walker, Tom Taylor (Molleigh), Zach Taylor, Zach Weatherford, and youngest grandson Ben Taylor; her two great-grandchildren, Hudson and Greyson Duykers; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Martha loved unconditionally. Everyone who knew and loved her was truly fortunate and very blessed.

A graveside memorial service will be held at Faith Memorial Park on Saturday November 7th, 2026 at 1:00 PM.

In Lieu of flowers, donations can be made to A New Leash On Life to honor the memory of Martha Virginia Esfeller Taylor https://anewleash.org/.