Joan A. Taylor

Joan Alexandra Taylor nee Brand, 88, died June 22 in Gig Harbor WA where she resided near her son. She was a resident of Orleans MA for 40 years. She was the daughter of Alexander McDonald Brand and Alice Brand nee Higney of Longmeadow and Springfield MA.

Joan attended Westfield State Teachers College and met Hersey Taylor who was a student at Springfield College. Joan was the family genealogist. Her research led her to travel to England and Scotland. She was very proud of her Scottish heritage and Mayflower linage.

She served as a Gray Lady volunteer at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington DC and was often called upon for her time and talent to her church and community. Joan was an active member of the Cape Cod Bayberry Quilters and the Orleans Garden Club and treasured many friendships made. She was an avid thrift shopper and loved to knit and sew.

One of Joan's greatest loves was the ocean having ancestral ties to shipbuilding and the whaling industry. She walked the beach faithfully with a dog by her side while she collected sea glass. She and her husband were members of the Descendants of Whaling Masters.

Joan courageously fought non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma for more than twenty years without complaint. Her faith sustained her at every turn throughout the years. She was an active member of the Orleans Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit.

She leaves her son Rick Taylor and daughter in law Debra of Vashon Island WA, three grandchildren, Jonathan Taylor of Seattle WA, Jennifer Taylor of Boston Ma, and Rebecca Taylor, her husband Mickey and Joan’s Great Granddaughter Clover Taylor Clemon, currently residing in Sydney Australia. She also leaves a sister Ruth Flynn nee Brand and her husband Paul of Westfield MA, a sister-in-law Mary Brand of Oakhurst CA, and several nieces, nephews and grand nieces and nephews.

Joan was predeceased in 2018 by her husband of 66 years Hersey D Taylor; her son Rob Taylor of Marston Mills MA passed in 2016 and her brother Sandy Brand of Oakhurst, CA died this past year.

Visitation will be at Nickerson’s Funeral Home in Orleans MA from 4:00PM-7:00PM on Friday July 8. In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org). For online condolences, please visit www.nickersonfunerals.com.