Kathleen Foy Taylor

Kathleen Foy Taylor passed away March 13, 2021, peacefully, while sitting in her favorite chair. Our mom had lived 69 very full years. Like any good story she read, her life was full of triumphs and hardships as well. She was born Dec. 6, 1951, in Mt. Holly, N.J. Her siblings would say she was a hard worker, pretty, but bossy at times (doesn’t every sibling say that?!). When she was 16 she wrote in a biography for school that her goals in life were to go to college, travel and to help other people. Mom did all those things, but certainly not in the typical way.

During Mom’s senior year of high school, her mother passed away. Her father had died 2 years earlier. So, mom dropped out of school and, with her two siblings (older brother, Jimmy and younger sister, Cookie) they teamed up to tackle life together. As for her goals in life, Mom would never give up on hopes and dreams, even if it took a winding road to get there. We appreciate that life lesson.

She did get to travel as she had hoped – to Europe and many places in the US. She did go to college, but later in life. She completed her Bachelor’s degree at the age of 60; so inspirational! Her last goal was to help other people, and she spent her whole life doing that. While she raised her three kids (Pepper, Ginger, Lloyd) as a single mom, she was always helping other single moms, elderly people that didn’t have enough, doing large scale craft projects for neighborhood kids during the summer when their parents worked, faithfully serving in children’s ministry at church, and working as a counselor on a suicide prevention hotline. Mom was truly a voice of hope for many. She was also an amazingly involved grandma for her grandchildren (Mason, Boady, Natalie, Conner and Claire).

Our Mom was really smart. At least that’s what she told us growing up when we questioned whether she knew what she was talking about. Once we grew up, we realized she actually was very smart. An avid reader, a great writer, a gifted and patient teacher, she had the ability to do all kinds of things. She ran a daycare, was the first paid woman firefighter in the history of Montana, drove cement trucks, worked at developmental care facilities, and had a whole host of other jobs. She was a hard worker who tried to find jobs that would provide for our family but give her the most time with us kids.

Most importantly, Mom loved Jesus and taught us to as well. She had unbending faith that God would deliver on His promises, even in the darkest times. We know she is in heaven, experiencing great joy with her heavenly Father. She’s also probably riding around with her favorite dog, Copper, taking care of stray cats if they have those in heaven, drinking tons of coffee, making costumes for 16 little angels because she always did that for us, and falling asleep immediately once a movie is turned on only to wake up when it is done and ask everyone in heaven what happened.

An open house will be held from 4-6 p.m. on Friday, March 19, 2021, at Prairie Avenue Community Church, 3639 W. Prairie Ave., in Hayden, Idaho. Please come to share memories and enjoy light snacks. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to the Kootenai County Humane Society.

Our mom was an amazing woman, and she left us with so many memories we will cherish.