Julia Anne Taylor

In deep love and cherished memory, we announce that Julia Frey Taylor died peacefully in her residence, in the early hours of Sunday June 21st. She lived for 88 vibrant, laughter-filled years and is survived by her husband of 65 years, Dr. Terry W. Taylor of Atlanta, GA and their Bichon-Frise, Annie.

Julia, a person of boundless energy, wit, and creativity came into

this world on December 5th in San Gabriel, CA, the sole daughter of

Elizabeth Julia Hershey and Ernest Martin Frey, and younger sister of two devoted older brothers, Jack and Dick. The way they tell it, the brothers were determined to prevent her from becoming what they called “too girly”, and went about this through a series of infamous brotherly pranks and prods. They lovingly and jokingly credited themselves for the determined and active person she was. The way we see it, that grit just ran in her blood. The way she put it, her older brothers helped shape her independence and humor, while her younger brother Bill was born just in time to be a playmate, best friend, and confidante. Julia remained close with all of her brothers throughout their entire lives, and delighted in the close friendship of her sister-in laws as well.

She graduated from Johns Hopkins Nursing School in 1960 after

transferring from Wheaton College, where she began her studies and made life-long friends. It was while studying on the campus of Johns Hopkins that a smitten medical student from Atlanta proposed a one-sided “blind date”. This twenty minute coffee date soon became an afternoon-long chat, which turned into a dinner date that eventually concluded in a walk in the rain that, as the story goes, left Julia’s brand new alligator-skin shoes utterly ruined. Sixty plus years later and she never once regretted it. Terry and Julia were married three years after that rainy walk and their devotion to each other and their family was a marked constant in all of our lives over the following six decades.

Some of Julia’s significant accomplishments include her graduation from Johns Hopkins Nursing School and her time working in the neonatal unit at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville. However, without doubt the roles she was most excited to take on were those of wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Her devoted husband describes her as “the best decision I ever made.” They laughed together, traveled together, and had the privilege of growing older together.

Julia’s daughters describe her as creative, joyful, hospitable,

outgoing and always welcoming. She made everything fun and made everyone feel included. She laughed loudly and sang louder. She never outgrew her thirst for knowledge and she passed each of her handicrafts and cooking skills onto a child or grandchild. She taught us to love and memorize scripture and she taught us the power of prayer. She set an example of dedicating daily time to spend with God. We will miss her optimism, her humility and her persistence.

Her grandchildren remember her as warm, inventive, strong, well-traveled, and able to do or make absolutely anything. Her musical spirit was as evident in her cooking dinner as when she was playing the piano or dulcimer. She cooked everything by hand and she made magic real. She had an activity for every occasion and an occasion for every visit. She was the captain of our raft and the leader of our band. She was a beekeeper, a seamstress, a chef, a writer, and a little bit of a rebel. She was our guide through the forest and protector of our dreams. She could tear up a dance floor and she led the family in singing hymns any chance she got. She will probably always be the happiest person we know.

Anyone who had the blessing and joy of knowing Julia - our

Granny, our Mom, our Aunt Julia - will remember this: Her table was

never, ever bare. She knew the power and privilege of preparing a good meal, and she knew the happiness in sharing it. Her life was a testament to her love of her family, of the earth, and of God. She never stopped wanting to be used by God, and she never stopped praying for those around her.

After many long, active, well-traveled and sun-kissed years of

retirement full of seeing the world through nature and the arts, Julia

was diagnosed with heart failure in 2021. She continued to live

surrounded by and continuing to support her loved ones, happy and

grateful to be here until the disease progressed to its final stage, and she went home to the God she loved so much. Julia was preceded in death by her beloved brothers; Dick, Jack, and Bill; as well as her sister-in-laws Shirley-Ann and Shirley, and her darling granddaughter Margaret Nielsen. Along with her husband Terry,

she is survived by her three daughters; Elizabeth & Steve Nielsen of

West Palm Beach, FL, Rie & Byron Harris of Charlottesville, VA, and

Victoria & Buddy Eades of Atlanta, GA. She also leaves behind her

cherished grandchildren and great-grandchildren; Eric Nielsen (Elyse, Eleanor & Ethan), Tim Nielsen (Katie, Julia, and Jack), Zoë Bayer (Windsor Jones), Ainslie Kate Bayer, Ben Harris, and Bella Harris.

Julia’s many, many nieces and nephews, cousins and in-laws, neighbors and friends were all very special to her. She truly delighted in opening her heart and home to all. The Taylor family wishes to express our sincerest gratitude to the staff at Discovery Village for their support and compassionate care.

The family will have a private graveside service in Sandy Springs this Monday the 29th of June. A memorial service will be held at 11:30am at Intown Community Church 2059 Lavista Rd N

Atlanta, GA 30329 A reception will take place at the church following the memorial service.

We encourage you to honor Julia’s legacy by asking God to make His presence real to you and by seeking to know Him better, by practicing generosity and care with your own neighbors and communities, by popping an extra sugar cube into your afternoon teacup, by learning a new song or recipe, and by sharing these joys with all around you as much as possible. These, we believe, would be the truest tribute to her extraordinary life.