Frankie Pegues Taylor

Frankie was one of six children born to the late Murray Sr. and Esther (Boone) Pegues on September 12, 1933. She is preceded in death by her husband, Jerry L. Taylor, her two brothers, Murray Pegues, Jr. and Edward (Buddy) Pegues, her sister, Dallas L. Pegues, and her sister Willie Belle Pegues (Bunky – deceased at infancy). She is survived by her sister, Sandra (Carleen) Pegues Wilson of Sugar Land, TX.

Frankie accepted Christ at an early age and was baptized at age 10 at Eastern Star Baptist Church in Memphis, TN. As an adult, she united at Leadenhall Baptist Church in Baltimore, MD., where she served on the Trustee Board and served as the Superintendent of Sunday School. In 1988, she received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the Maryland Theological Seminary. When Frankie relocated back to Memphis in 1997, she joined Mt. Vernon Baptist Church – Westwood where she served on the Trustee Board for 16 years. While at Mt. Vernon, she promoted the growth and expansion of Evangelism Explosion (EE) and she was instrumental in establishing the senior ministry group at Westwood Manor. Frankie was a member of the Women’s Adult Sunday School Group led by Mae Clayton and she was active in two birth-month ministries – September and October. She later transferred her membership to Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, TN in 2015.

Frankie was very active with the Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) since 2010, her Bellevue Baptist life group, and the Hope Presbyterian global outreach ministry. She actively participated in the mission ministries at Bellevue Baptist Church, Hope Presbyterian Church, Island Community Church, and Mt. Vernon Baptist Church. In her 80s, she participated in seven mission trips to East and West Africa and China. As Frankie continued to volunteer in Africa, she worked with students in orphanages and helped to support the building of a high school in Kenya.

Frankie was a proud graduate of the Mighty Warriors of Booker T. Washington High School Class of 1951. She married her high school sweetheart, the late Jerry Lee Taylor, in August 1955, and to this union their only child, Dana Michelle Taylor, was born. Frankie and Jerry shared 59 years of marriage until his death in 2014.

After high school, Frankie attended LeMoyne-Owen College before relocating to Washington, D.C. to work for the U.S. Department of the Navy. She briefly attended Howard University before she began working as a computer programming analyst for the National Security Agency (NSA) for six years and the Washington Metropolitan Police Department for two years before beginning her 20-year career as a computer systems specialist with the Social Security Administration (SSA). Frankie was always adamant about having a second trade to fall back on if necessary. So, in the late 1950’s, she became a licensed cosmetologist and owner of her own beauty salon and in the early 1980’s, she obtained her general contractor’s license to rebuild and restore a historical 1865 rectory to a church that she and her husband purchased as their home.

Frankie received her B.A. and M.A. from Antioch College in 1975 and 1977. She was very passionate about her work in the computer field. While maintaining her role at SSA, in the early 1980’s, she founded Project CompuTech which was a computer camp for inner city youth ages 6 – 16, hosting as many as 1000 children. In the mid-1980’s, Frankie served as the Associate Director of Bowie State College’s Academy of Computer Training.

Upon retiring from SSA, Frankie became an entrepreneur. She founded and was President of her own computer business for seven years prior to relocating back to Memphis in 1997. She was very proud of the fact that her company, International Technology Research (ITR), Inc., was 8(a) certified by the Small Business Administration as a minority and women-owned business. ITR was also recognized as an IBM business partner. In 1998, she went back to school at age 65 to obtain her teacher licensure from Christian Brothers University. She worked as a Memphis City School elementary teacher for 9 years until her retirement at age 77. Throughout her life, Frankie tirelessly gave back to society through civic, social and community services here at home and across the globe gaining too many awards and recognitions to name herein.

Frankie had many interests throughout the years, including travelling extensively to over 40 countries across five continents, crafting, photography, computer programming, and reading with her book club, The Butterflies. She was a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated (Memphis Alumnae Chapter) and a lifetime member of the NAACP.

Frankie was adored and loved by her many friends and family. She leaves to cherish her memories: her daughter, Dana Taylor, of Memphis, TN; her sister Sandra P. Wilson, of Sugar Land, TX; her sister-in-law, Elizabeth (Beth) Pegues, of Liverpool, England; her aunt, Easter (Boone) King, of Memphis, TN; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, family, and friends.

A visitation for Frankie will be held on Thursday, January 4 from 4:00 until 6:00 PM, at Memphis Funeral Home, 5599 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38119.

The funeral service will occur on Friday, January 5 from 12:00 until 1:30 PM, at Memphis Funeral Home with the committal service at 2:00 PM, at West Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery, 4000 Forest Hill Irene Road, Memphis, TN 38125. Following the burial, a repast will be held at Memphis Funeral Home from 2:45 until 4:45 PM.

Contributions in Frankie's memory may be made to The East Africa Project, 9160 Hwy 64, Ste. 12-262, Lakeland, Tennessee 38002.