Susan Gail Taylor

Susan (Sue) Gail Taylor was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She attended Tulsa Edison High School (graduated 1961) and went on to study at Grinnell College, Grinnell Iowa, where she double majored in Journalism and American History (Bachelor of Arts 1965).

Sue spent her professional life as a journalist. She worked for United Press International in Chicago and recalled often her experiences covering Martin Luther King and the Chicago Campaign in 1966. After moving to Austin, Texas in the 1970s, she worked for the Austin American Statesman in various capacities including wire editor, assistant city editor and Neighbor editor, all the while mentoring scores of neophyte journalists. Her colleagues remember her as an editor with a light hand who asked insightful questions that improved their stories - many say she was the best editor they ever had. She was a tireless worker and supportive supervisor who treated her co-workers with care, fairness and compassion, her shining eyes looking out from glasses halfway down her nose and the rare snarky comment mostly held back but a few times muttered about newsroom politics. She retired in the late 1990s.

Sue was an adventurous and independent spirit, a loyal and generous friend and a woman loved by many. When people talked, Sue listened with interest and without interruption. She was up for anything and didn’t hesitate to say yes to a walk, a glass of good red wine, an opera performance, a trip, a beach, a meal, a merry go round. After Chicago and before Austin, she traveled the country in an RV; she recounted other memorable trips to Hawaii, the Galapagos Islands, and Cape Cod. Sue was an avid reader, always with stacks of newspaper nearby and a good book to share. She adored animals and was seen for many years walking her black and white dog Gracie around Austin’s Cherrywood neighborhood. She loved children and was invited to many balloon-filled birthday parties; she was known to acknowledge those birthdays for years. Sue knew where all the best pecan trees were near her house and would point them out to anyone in search of a sweet harvest.

Sue died at her home of natural causes. She was preceded in death by her parents, Leta Mae Taylor (née Blizman) and Albert William Taylor. She is survived by her brother, William (Bill) Taylor and his wife Cleeta; her dear friend Samantha Krukowski and her daughter, Zoë, for whom Sue was family; and by several cousins.

Sue was an ardent supporter of land and water conservation; memorial donations may be made to The Nature Conservancy in her honor using her full name.

Sue will be buried next to her mother in Tulsa in a private ceremony. A celebration of her life will be held in Austin and announced at a later date.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.wcfishnorth.com for the TAYLOR family.