Helen Katherine Taylor

Helen was preceded in death by parents, 2 loving husbands, 3 brothers, 1 sister and a dear grandson, Darren Bailey.

She is survived by daughter, Linda Stevens (Gregory) of Jemison, AL; daughter, Susie Burns (Ralph) of Decatur and son, Johnnie B. Parks, Jr. (Kathy) of Auburn, AL; grandchildren, Heather Bailey, Brandy Brown (Oneal), Holly Mote (Chris) David Burns and Logan Parks; six great-granddaughters, Bethany, Macy, Isabella, Sela, Elspeth and Aliza.

Helen grew up in a family that didn’t have much, but her mom and dad always made sure they had shelter, food and a lot of love. She grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, married Johnnie Parks, and eventually moved out to California where they raised their family. They had 49 wonderful years together, with Helen being a stay at home mom and Johnnie’s “girl Friday”, handling the bookkeeping and office needs for his many business ventures. They found themselves moving back to Decatur, Alabama in 1966. Johnnie passed and later she married Paul Taylor and had another 21 years of marriage, enjoying traveling with Paul to WWII reunions. Her alone years between 2015 and 2022 were years of good health and enjoyment as she drove her little Cadillac all over town, shopping, visiting, eating out and enjoying life with her family, friends and neighbors. Unfortunately, her health slowly declined over the last year.

Helen was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who had the gift of hospitality. Family gatherings were filled with joy, laughter and delicious food. Her baking and candy-making skills at Christmastime blessed everyone’s palates. One of her favorite pastimes was playing Canasta, which she learned at age 92. A member of First Baptist Church, she loved her Sunday School class and special teacher, Carloss Bauer. She was blessed with caring neighbors and friends. Her family adored her and she will be greatly missed. She had a long, healthy life and we are grateful to God for allowing us to enjoy life with her.

In lieu of flowers please make donations to First Baptist Church of Decatur, Alabama, to P.O.Box 1667 Decatur, Alabama 35602