Mary Hawkins Taylor

“Mary Hawkins” was good at life. She was a woman of quiet elegance and generosity and had an insatiable curiosity and love of live fulfilled by faith, family, friends, and food. She gave unconditional love whenever you were in her presence and everyone who met her immediately recognized a friend in her kind, smiling eyes.

Mary was born Mary Lilla Hawkins in 1929 in San Francisco, California to parents Walter Joyce and Eleanor Evans Hawkins. Some of her earliest and most favorite memories were living in Nevada City, California and learning to ride bikes with her two brothers Walter and Charlie at the intersection of Church and Cross streets on Piety Hill. She went on to college and graduated in 1950 with a Bachelor of History from the College of Holy Names in Oakland, California where she made many lifelong friends, affectionately referred as her “hens”.

Mary’s desire to see the world came to fruition when she joined the Foreign Service of the US Department of State after college. She was stationed to posts in Washington DC; Munich Germany with the Voice of America; Tripoli, Libya; Zagreb, Yugoslavia; Geneva, Switzerland; Paris, France and Genoa, Milan, Naples, Turin and Rome, Italy. Her fondest and most cherished memories are from her assignment to work with President and Mrs. Kennedy and family while they were visiting southern Italy.

Mary met and married her husband Wayne while in Rome and they honeymooned in London before returning to the United States to start their life together, raise their family and where she became immersed in her new community. Social justice held a very special place in Mary’s heart, and in many ways was her life’s work and passion. She worked in the General Assembly for many years before joining Legal Services and Legal Aid of North Carolina.

Mary was a constant presence in both her community and church. She was very active with local politics, canvased for voter registration and regularly volunteered at the polls. She was also one of the first women to be made a Eucharist Minister in the Diocese of Raleigh and she volunteered with Ministry to the Sick for many years.

You could also find her strolling one of her grandchildren around the neighborhood or early in the morning on the way to the pool to swim. She was constantly entertaining family and friends with a delicious home cooked meal and her wonderful sense of humor. In the last few years, you could always find her sitting on the porch with the dogs watching the world go by. She was a great mother and grandmother, a loyal friend and a wonderful wife. Mary leaves behind a rich legacy of compassion, kindheartedness, generosity and love.

Mary died surrounded by her loving family who will miss her immensely. She is survived by her husband of 60 years, Earl Wayne Taylor, Sr. daughters Annamaria “Snicks” Taylor and husband John Abplanalp; Lilla Maria Taylor; sons E. Wayne Taylor, Jr., and wife Christie; Walter Hawkins Taylor and wife Allison as well as her four grandchildren, Evan Taylor Dean; Avery Alexandra Dean; John Walter “Jack” Abplanalp and William Henry Taylor. She is also survived by many relatives, nieces and nephews and their families, and countless friends who loved her dearly and cherish her memory.

A Celebration of Life and a Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, February 26th, 2022 at 2:00 PM at Sacred Heart Church, 200 Hillsborough St, Raleigh, North Carolina.

A private family inurnment ceremony will take place in the spring.

Memorial contributions may be made in Mary’s honor to Catholic Charities of the Dioceses of Raleigh, Second Chance Pet Adoptions, or the Food Back of Central & Eastern North Carolina.

Services are being handled by Brown-Wynne, 300 Saint Mary's St. Raleigh, NC.