Phyllis Taylor-White

Phyllis Louise Taylor-White passed away on August 7, 2026, in Silver Spring, Maryland. Born on October 18, 1948, in Columbia, South Carolina, Phyllis lived a life marked by style, independence, creativity, faith, and a deep love for family.

After spending her early childhood in Columbia, Phyllis moved with her family to Washington, D.C., in 1961. She attended Shaw Junior High School and Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, where she distinguished herself academically and creatively before graduating in 1966.

Phyllis briefly attended the University of Maryland, College Park, before choosing a path that would take her around the world. She was selected to attend the American Airlines Stewardess Academy in Fort Worth, Texas, beginning a long and memorable career as an American Airlines flight attendant. Her career allowed her to experience cultures and traditions across the globe, form lifelong friendships, and develop a worldly perspective that remained a defining part of who she was.

Through one of those friendships, Phyllis was introduced to Pedro Thomas White of San Bernardino, California. The two fell in love and married on June 18, 1977, beginning a life together centered on family, partnership, and shared memories.

Creativity was woven throughout Phyllis’s life. A talented seamstress and needlepoint artist, she created beautiful clothing and handmade Christmas stockings for family and friends. She had an exceptional eye for fashion, detail, and craftsmanship. She also found happiness in cooking—especially her famous gumbo—caring for her plants, volunteering, helping children, listening to music, and line dancing as one of Jessie’s Soul Line Dancers.

Above all, family remained at the center of Phyllis’s life. She leaves to cherish her memory her children, Cecily White and Brandon White; her beloved grandchildren, Idris and McKinley Cooper; her sister, Robin Taylor (Johnathan); her sister-in-law, Vera Saville; her uncle, Alphonso Bassard (LaVern); and a loving circle of nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family members, and dear friends.

Phyllis was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Pedro T. White; her mother, Theresa B. Taylor; her father, Otha “Billy” Taylor; and her brother, Bruce A. Taylor.

Phyllis will be remembered for the unmistakable way she moved through the world—with style, strength, creativity, independence, and love. Her legacy lives on in the family she cherished, the friendships she nurtured, the beautiful things she created, and the memories held by everyone fortunate enough to have known and loved her.