Ann Taylor – Mrs. John Allen Taylor — died peacefully in Oklahoma City on November 7, 2019. She was born to Viola and Charles Everett Eaton in western Oklahoma and later moved to Oklahoma City where her father served as a coach and civics teacher in the Oklahoma City public schools. During World War II, she deferred entry into college to marry John A. (“Jack”) Taylor, a University of Oklahoma Naval cadet, in 1945. Ann and Jack moved several times with their two sons and oldest daughter in the late 1940s and 1950s before settling permanently in Nichols Hills, OK in the early 1960s where their youngest daughter was born.
Ann was a truly extraordinary community leader and activist ahead of her time. She served as the first woman on the Nichols Hills City Council and later as the city’s first woman mayor. Later, Ann sold real estate in Nichols Hills and in 2015 she co-authored a book on her home community entitled “Nichols Hills: A Residential Community,” with Konrad Keesee, a real estate firm owner. She was also active in the Nichols Hills parks and worked to have one small park named for her late son, Doug.
Ann served as the first chairman and later the national chairman for the Interstate Coordinating Council for Early Intervention, an agency that provides support and advocacy for children with disabilities. She also served on the Commission on Children and Youth. In a well-deserved recognition of her work on behalf of children with disabilities, Ann was awarded the Ann Taylor Chair in Pediatrics and Developmental Disabilities in Physical Therapy from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in 2006.
In addition to her work in government and politics, Ann was a valued volunteer for the Oklahoma City Symphony and Orchestra League. She was also active in All Souls Episcopal Church and the Guild of St. George Episcopal Mission, which served Oklahoma City residents with food and housing needs.
The simple things in life that Ann loved give a glimpse into her wonderful personality. She loved old musicals, big band music, cats, Johnnie’s Theta cheeseburgers, chocolate (especially dark chocolate), and the 4th of July, complete with John Phillip Sousa marches.
Ann had many friends, and her community accomplishments are indeed impressive. But her greatest joy and devotion were to her family – as a wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. “Grandma Ann,” as she was affectionately known to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren alike, will be missed by all who knew and loved her. She is survived by her son Jerry (Carol Sue) Taylor, daughters Kay Taylor and Jan Taylor Garrett (Daniel), grandchildren Dawn Taylor, Laurel Levasheff (Nadeem), Katie Wendorf (Lane) and Jonas Siegel (Sarah), and great-grandchildren Sarah and Emily Biegelsen, Delaney and Dalton Wendorf, Hayleh Uddin, and Viola Siegel. Ann’s husband Jack and son Doug pre-deceased her. Ann Taylor's family invites you to remember and cele-brate her life on Monday, February 17, 2020. The service will be at 11:00 a.m. at All Souls' Episcopal Church, 6400 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Nichols Hills, OK.
In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations made to either of these organizations that were important to Ann: Tax-deductible gifts in her memory can be made to the Ann Taylor Chair in Pediatric and Developmental Disabilities (60328), Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Oklahoma, College of Allied Health. Gifts should be made payable to OU Foundation, Inc. and mailed to: 100 W. Timberdell Rd., Norman, OK 73069. When making your gift, please include FUND #60328; or Oklahoma City Museum of Art, You can make a memorial contribution online at okcmoa.com or contact Kimberley Worrell, Director of Development, at (405) 278-8227. Donation checks can be mailed to the Museum at 415 Couch Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73102.
