Marilyn Kennedy Taylor, beloved wife, our dear sweet mom, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend passed away at 5:01 a.m. on February 3, 2021 at the age of 92 at Beehive Homes Assisted Living in Salt Lake City, Utah with family at her side. She is joyously reunited with her many departed loved ones now. For those left behind, we will miss her so much.
Marilyn was born in Ogden, Utah, on January 4, 1929, to David Matthew Kennedy and Lenora (Bingham) Kennedy. She was the oldest of four daughters. When she was nine months old her parents moved the family to Washington, D.C. so her father could pursue a law degree, often bouncing baby Marilyn in one arm with a law book in the other. The trip took two weeks to drive with little Marilyn on the back shelf of a model A Ford. During the summers the family would take a month-long vacation to Ogden, and Randolph, Utah, to visit her two sets of grandparents. She always looked forward to riding horses on her grandpa Kennedy’s ranch in Randolph. “I pretended I was a real cowgirl.” They lived in Washington, D.C., then Arlington, Virginia, then Hyattsville, Maryland. She graduated High School in 1946 a member of the Honor Society, and that fall came out to attend Brigham Young University.
During her freshman year, she met “a handsome young senior from El Paso, Texas” Verl LaRue Taylor, in Spanish class at Brigham Young University. They were married at the end of her freshman year in 1947 in Elko, Nevada, and were later sealed in the Salt Lake Temple. She was Verl’s devoted wife for 70 years until he passed away at 94. She loved babies! She and Verl wanted to have three boys and three girls, and that is how it turned out over 19 years. Her dedication to her role as wife and mother was exemplary. After Verl graduated BYU they moved to the Chicago area until 1959 except for the two years 1951-52 in Fort Myers, Florida. Then they moved to Salt Lake City where they lived in Mount Olympus Park in the same house for 58 years.
Marilyn and Verl loved to travel, visiting countries all over the world, including the opportunity to do so on “Air Force Two” when her father David was secretary of the United States Treasury. In 1987 she and Verl were called on a one-year mission to the Hawaii Temple Visitor’s Center in Laie on the island of Oahu “where we had many wonderful experiences and gained close lifetime missionary friends.” She and Verl were involved with the Society and Preservation of the Advancement of Harmonicas and enjoyed traveling around in their motorhome to conventions.
Marilyn was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Her church positions included Primary teacher, ward Primary president two times, stake Primary counselor, stake and ward Relief Society secretary, Cub Scout den leader coach, M.I.A. secretary, and Sunday School secretary. She loved the English language and was an excellent speller and proofreader. She had beautiful handwriting. She loved books: “I have a large library of books at home, and my goal is to read all of them before I die. I may have to live 100 years more to accomplish this, however.” She loved to crochet.
Marilyn gave so much love and was dearly loved in return. She had a wonderful, wry sense of humor. Her generosity, kindness, and sweetness were outstanding to all who knew her. In later years she had difficulty with mobility and was in a lot of pain, yet she remained brave, and as kind and sweet as can be. The family wishes to thank the caregivers at Beehive Homes Assisted Living on 2000 E who took great care of her during her last year.
Marilyn is survived by her sisters Carol Davis and Patricia Campbell; son-in-law Wayne D Smith; daughter Lenora (Craig) Johnson; daughter Darlene Taylor; son Lamar Pierce Taylor; son Rex Devon Taylor; 20 grandchildren (this includes 6 step-grandchildren); and 38 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband Verl; sister Barbara Law; son David Wayne Kennedy Taylor; daughter in law Georgene Keener (David) Taylor; and daughter Faune LaRue Taylor (Wayne) Smith; and a great-grandson.
Interment will be at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park. To watch a livestream of the services please visit www.facebook.com/wasatchlawnmemorial at 2:00 PM on 02/06/2021
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.wasatchlawn.com for the TAYLOR family.
