Rickey Emma Taylor, 93

Rickey Emma Taylor passed on to Our Lord on Oct. 25, 2010, at the Ivy Court Nursing Home, Coeur d'Alene. Rickey was born April 7, 1917, as Emma Florence Smith to Frederick and Hazel (Ames) Smith in Sessor, Ill.

Rickey lived in Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Washington and Arizona, before coming to Coeur d'Alene in 2000. In addition, Rickey owned a tax preparation business in Huntington Beach, Calif., for approximately 30 years.

She is survived by brother Fred Smith; sister Harriet Kelley; children Ruth Ann Reel, Lynda Taylor, Warren Taylor and David Taylor. Rickey was blessed with three grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.

Rickey had a very interesting life in many ways. She grew up during the Great Depression and knew what it was like to have little. Rickey also knew about the trials and tribulations that life can throw at you. In addition to living through the Great Depression, she also survived polio and a very terrible car accident in 1947. She worked as a "Rosie the Riveter" during WWII and she was very proud of this.

Rickey always provided a good home for her kids and took great pains to look out for theirs, and many other people's, welfare. She loved music and could be heard singing to most country songs. In fact, in 1966 Rickey cut a demo album of Country-Western songs that she had written, but her own mother passed soon thereafter and she lost heart in the project. She also liked to travel, seeing many parts of the United States, with Hawaii and Alaska being her favorites. She had lots of friends in lots of places. For many years she was a member of the Huntington Beach Moose Lodge. She was loved by all who knew her. We will all miss her loving smile and genuine laughter. Rickey's last few years were spent at local nursing homes, with Ivy Court being the final one.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2010, at the Church of Latter-day Saints, 2801 N. Fourth St., Coeur d'Alene.