Born August 14th 1938, in Jackson, Mississippi as Audrey Faye Rigdon, to her parents Johnny Harvey Rigdon and Meitha Rigdon of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Audrey was known by most as simply “Faye,” and she was raised with her brother Harvey Rigdon, Jr. in Hattiesburg most her life.
Her father, looking for work, moved the family down to Pasadena, where he began a new job with Continental Can Company. Meitha was a house wife, and ran the home.
Faye went on to finish school, and graduated Pasadena High School in 1956, where there she met Clarence Wilbur Taylor Jr. of Pasadena. They began a courtship, and soon married at First Baptist Church in Pasadena. Clarence was in the Air Force, and Faye worked as a secretary for a private insurance firm in Pasadena. Clarence spent most of his time at Ellington Air Force Base in Houston, and they soon bought a home in South Houston. They had given birth to their first son Gary Wayne Taylor, prior to moving into their new home, and 3 years later in 1967 they gave birth to their second son Gregory Scott Taylor. Our whole family lived in the Pasadena area.
Years pass, and time goes by, my mother Faye found herself single, living in Pasadena raising her two sons. My mother gained much strength from her church, and was blessed to have found James Merrell Nicholas in the singles class at church. They dated for some time, and soon were married at First Baptist Church in 1982 there in Pasadena. They were very active in the singles class at church, and when they relocated to Katy Texas, they were both very active in promoting and actually starting the first singles class at Kingsland Baptist Church. As you can see, the “church” was my parents “first home” …where we slept was our second.
Jim as he was referred to and Faye were very much soul mates, and lovers of life. They loved to travel, and spent much time creating memories with family and friends through their various functions, and events that they attended. There were always activities at our house. When Jim went to be with the Lord, he was very young, 52. And my mother began her dedication to her grandchildren.
Greg and Ronda had two children, and Gary and Yolanda Taylor had one son. Her life was these three children. Joshua Scott Taylor, Madison Paige Taylor, and Jacob Taylor.
My mother worked her last job at Texas Commerce Mortgage Downtown, as executive secretary to the Vice President. Most of her career was as a secretary due to the fact the woman could, in those days, type “90” words per minute!...before computers, she was in demand. With her grace, beauty, and charm…she was a woman that you wanted on “your team.” She was a portrait of professionalism.
On a personal note, my mom took on any role she had to, to show her children, Gary and Greg, that there was nothing that they could not do,…and nothing was out of our reach with our Father in Heaven guiding us along. My mother taught me how to tie my shoes, even when I kept putting them on backwards, threw practice balls to me, so I could be the best at my game, and let me and my children dress her up in the most ridiculous outfits imaginable…all so we could keep on smiling.
Mother didn’t come from a rich background in Hattiesburg, which enabled her to show “us” how to enjoy the simple things in life, and focus on values that would make us all better people. If you left our house hungry, it was your own fault…we shared our food, our happiness, and our spiritual food to grow on.
My days spent with my Mom at Kingsland, were uplifting to us both. Singing with my Mom, watching her granddaughter Madison sing with us, is somewhat of a family tradition….we are all lovers of music, and received our talents in that area from Mom’s direction, and influence. I personally started singing when I learned to talk,…the first song I sang was “Rain Drops Keep Falling on My Head”…I was singing that in the church nursery, and with all that attention, I think that that was my first understanding of being nervous…I started to sweat! I am still singing to this day!
My mom was a fabulous cook. She and my Grandmother Taylor taught me everything I know. This too, has been passed down to our children. My mother loved to cook with her grandchildren, and loved to give guidance even when she couldn’t stand up. She was involved, and never stopped.
My mother was a loving compassionate woman, with a “hint” of “come love on me, and I will love on you” attitude….the church and myself spent much time doing things for her, and giving her the much-deserved attention that she desired…and I think like myself in some ways…actually like most of us…we enjoy being taken care of to a degree….my “imitations” of my mother, and she and I joking kept her laughing a lot! That was the best medicine this wonderful woman ever received.
To this day, it’s the one thing that I can share, is my imitation of my mom’s voice, or actions, and through this, she lives on forever, for my children, her friends, all of the people she loved so much. For if you ever wanted to hear her, just speak to me, and I will put a smile on your face with all her voice, character, and animation that I can. She left me with that great gift.
At Kingsland, I had plenty of back up, to keep this special woman happy, and certainly “full.” From Mike Kelley, praying and taking on a supportive role that his friend Jim Nicholas, left behind, to the overabundance of love and leg work from Trisha Stevens. My mother referred to Bruce Hayes as her other son. He and Terry Bryan from Kingsland filled the void in her life when I couldn’t. From every food group, and I mean every, these two men loved and listened to her…all the while she would be eating her “gummi worms” or “popcorn.” They kept her supplied in snacks! There are too many to mention, but Kingsland Church gave her the other component to keep on living, and smiling. My family and I will be forever grateful for this, and other acts of kindness and love. Commitment, sacrifice, and selflessness…this was shown to my mother.
A celebration of my mother’s life, Faye Nicholas: It would take a hundred pages to sum it all up! Knowing the impact she made, what we learned from her, and the special love she shared…It’s only through these selfless acts, that this precious woman could share part of herself. Much of what she was, and “who” she was, could be summed up as “motherly.” That’s what my Mom had to offer, and she gave her life to us, so we could have a better life as long as we all live.
That’s the greatest gift of all. My mother went to be with the Lord on Monday, May 6, 2013. She was surrounded by her family, and church friends. My mother left peacefully, as I held her hand, and reassured her of her new life that was waiting for her in Heaven.
Loving wife, mother, and friend…Faye Nicholas, my mother, and a mother to those without…her memory and life will be remembered as such.
We Love you Mom!
Greg Taylor
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
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