Funeral services for Mary Elizabeth Taylor, age 75, of Early, will be held at 11:00 AM, Saturday, August 2, 2014 at the First United Methodist Church of Brownwood. Private interment will take place prior to the service. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Friday evening from 6:00 until 7:00.
Miss Taylor passed away on Monday, July 28, 2014 in Brownwood.
Mary Elizabeth Taylor was born on May 17, 1939 in Brownwood to Lois (Koger) and Frank M. Taylor. Mary began playing the piano at age 2, had her first piano lessons at age 3, and by age 4 gave her first piano recital. Thus began her life-long love of music.
Mary attended Brownwood schools and graduated in the class of 1957. While at Brownwood High she was a member of Dorothy McIntosh’s a cappella choir. In her senior year, Mary was selected as a member of the Texas All-State Choir. She went on to attend Lindenwood College in Missouri and later transferred to Baylor University where she earned her Bachelor of Music Education degree.
Mary began her music education career in the Arlington Independent School District in various junior high schools before becoming choral director at Bowie High School. During her time in Arlington, she also was a singing member and accompanist for the Arlington Civic Chorus and performed with the Fort Worth Symphony and Dallas Symphony. She was a member of the Sanctuary Choir and director of the Youth Choir at First Baptist Church Arlington where she also taught Sunday School.Mary returned to Brown County in 1979 and established the choral music program at Early High School. While at EHS, she led the choir to three Sweepstakes Awards in UIL competition. She along with two other high school choir directors sponsored and led two concert tours of Europe.
In June of 1981 and after much persistence from the pastor, Mary accepted the position of Sanctuary Choir director for First United Methodist Church of Brownwood while continuing her duties at Early High. She resigned from Early ISD in 1984 to join the First Methodist staff full-time first as Programs Director and later as Assistant to the Pastor in addition to many other roles within the church. In that same year, Mary joined with eight other friends to form Jordan River Jubilee, a singing group with a wide repertory of music who travelled across the state singing for events both church-related and secular. The role of Sanctuary Choir director was Mary’s favorite and her first priority.
Mary is survived by her brother, James Taylor and wife Frances Lamb Taylor of Los Alamos, New Mexico; her cousin, Rodney Taylor and Melody of Llano and their children and grandchildren; her choir family and numerous friends.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to First United Methodist Church, 2500 11th Street, Brownwood, 76801.
Please share your memories of Mary with the family at www.heartlandfuneralhome.net.
