Margaret Loretta Taylor was born March 4, 1913, in Hartford, Conn., to Patrick and Margaret (McKeough) Daley. Her parents were Irish immigrants from County Cork and County Tipperary. She died July 24, 2003, at Careage of Whidbey, Coupeville from complications of leukemia.

Loretta, as she was known, graduated from Emanuel College in 1934. She met and married Harold Stanley Taylor in 1942. Their first two children were born in Medford, Mass., Stanley in 1944 and Patricia in 1945. In the late 1940s, Loretta and Stan moved to Washington, D.C. A third child, Barbara, was born there in 1950.

In 1955, the Taylor’s moved out to the suburbs — Silver Spring, Md. Stan died suddenly at a church dance in April 1956. Loretta taught in Montgomery County in both public and parochial schools until her retirement in 1980. Loretta was always very involved with her church and was an active member of the MaryKnights, the ladies’ organization of the Knights of Columbus.

Loretta move to Whidbey Island in October 2000 to be near her daughter Barbara and husband Mike and all of their wonderful animals! She was a resident of Oak Harbor Retirement Center for two years, and for the past six months, had been a resident of Careage of Whidbey.

Loretta is survived by her children Barbara Stevenson and husband Mike of Coupeville and Stanley Turner of Miles City, Mont. Two granddaughters, Ann Laskowski of New Jersey and Katie Parent of New York also survive. One daughter Patricia, who died from leukemia at the age of 49, preceded her in death.

Funeral services for Loretta will be held Wednesday in Silver Spring, Md., with burial at St. John the Evangelist Cemetery. Memorials may be made to American Cancer Society, or the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Burley Funeral Chapel. This obituary is on-line at http://burley.plan4ever.

com.