Karen Taylor

Karen Jean Taylor
The light heart lives long.
--Irish Proverb

Karen Jean Taylor passed away on Friday, January 8, 2016, at age 71.  Bubbly and kind, with a heartwarming smile, Karen had a gift for sharing her love for life with all those who knew her.
Born on August 10, 1944, in Charleston, Illinois, Karen was welcomed by her parents George Edward Cooley and Francis Margaret Mullins Cooley, otherwise known as Bud and Flo.  Bud Cooley worked as a plant maintenance supervisor at MECCO, while Flo owned a dress shop in addition to being a homemaker.  Karen was raised in Paris, Illinois, along with her sister, Claudette Mae Mullins.  When she was still a young girl, Karen enjoyed taking black and white photos in her neighborhood, which included many large families, and she loved to play baseball with them and in the nearby cornfields.  As she grew older, Karen found work at a pizza place, then Dogs & Suds.  She loved singing and formed a band that covered the songs of Peter, Paul & Mary—her favorite group.  After high school graduation, Karen decided to pursue a degree in Theatre Arts at Eastern Illinois University.  She would eventually transfer to Long Beach State University in California and receive her Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology.  Always a free spirit, Karen loved to wander and watch how others lived and loved life; she traveled extensively after taking a job with Aer Lingus Airlines and lived in New York City for more than ten years.
Later, Karen chose to return to California and began working seriously in archaeology on the New Melones mapping project, which sought to examine the remains of early inhabitants near Sonora, California, as the dam building project there progressed.  (As the largest archaeological site in the country at that time, the evidence of human civilization at New Melones dates back almost 9,600 years.)  It was on this site that Karen met Robert “Allyn” Taylor as they both spent time working in the field, gathering data.  Friendship became love, and the couple married on May 3, 1980, in a home service officiated by Betty Rivers.  A year later, their son, Christopher Ryan “Chris” Taylor was born.  He now survives his mother, along with his wife Magdalene (“Maggie”).
The Taylors decided to move to College Station in order to allow Allyn to study engineering at Texas A&M University.  Karen also began working at TAMU, spending most of her time in the Anthropology Department as an Academic and Graduate Advisor.  With her lovely smile and luminous personality, Karen “could convince anyone to do anything for her.”
Karen’s passion for people and cultures only increased.  She collected Native American pottery, baskets and musical instruments—referring to herself as both a “basket case” and an “ethnomusicologist”—along with local currency from various places around the globe.  One of her most memorable vacations involved seeing the Aztec ruins and snorkeling near the beautiful beaches of Cancun.  Her favorite international spot was Venice, where she felt completely at home soaking in the history of the city.  While at home in College Station, Karen’s favorite escape was found in the crime novels of Kathy Reichs (an author who is also a forensic anthropologist) and in caring for her cats, which she collected (the live kind).  She was overjoyed when Chris married Maggie, then again was tickled pink when their daughter, Mary Ann Taylor, was born a year ago.  Truly, Karen’s joy was as full as her extraordinary life, and she treasured the moments shared with those who loved her and now remember her for the remarkable wife, mother, friend and woman she was.
Karen is survived by her husband Robert “Allyn” Taylor, sister Claudette and husband Loyd Hawkey, son Christopher Ryan “Chris” Taylor and wife Magdalene and granddaughter Mary Ann Taylor, nephew Michael Hawkey and wife Marie Ann and their children Christian, Noel and Hayden.
Friends and family will gather to honor and celebrate the life of Karen Taylor from 2-4 PM on Thursday, January 14, 2016 with a life celebration to begin at 4 PM following by a reception all at Hillier Funeral Home, 4080 State Highway 6 South, College Station, Texas.
Visit www.hillierfuneralhome.com to learn more about Karen’s life and legacy.