Margaret Taylor

MARGARET FISCHER TAYLOR

Cedar Rapids

Margaret Ann Fischer Taylor, 85, passed away peacefully in her Cedar Rapids home Wednesday morning, March 12, 2015. She had been surrounded by her family and friends the last few weeks who loved her very much.

A private family visit will be held at Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home Saturday morning, March 14, followed by a private family luncheon at the Cedar Rapids Country Club.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www.cedar memorial.com.

Memorials may be made to Hospice of Mercy in Cedar Rapids.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Dudley, whom she shared 65 years of marriage.

Survivors include four children, Laurie Wittman (Randy), William Taylor (Julie), Mary Suess (Philip) and Ben Taylor. Also surviving are grand-children, Matt and Katie Wittman, Lauren and Brent Taylor (Ashley), Ben (Leah) and Tyler (Adisa) Weston, Warren, William (Courtney) and Wyatt Suess, Zachary (Lisa), Peter and Joseph Taylor; and great-grandchildren, Grant and Remington Taylor and Bellamy Weston.

Margaret was born in Vinton, Iowa, to parents Karl and Doris Fischer, the third of four children – Karl and Ben Fischer and Judy Fischer Hirsch, all deceased.

An avid animal lover, some of her best memories were of riding "Buddy," the horse that stole her heart. Margaret was salutatorian of her high school senior graduating class. She went on to teachers college at Northern Iowa but left after a year to pursue her passion for art at the Art Institute in Chicago. It was there, at Navy Pier, that she met the love of her life, Dudley. Within a year they were married and started their family. Three years later they moved back to Vinton to raise their family of four. Then, in 1965, to be closer to Dudley's business, the family moved to Cedar Rapids. In 1985, they chose to retire in Florida, ultimately living on the edge of a beautiful body of water where they could enjoy the wildlife every single day. After Dudley passed in May 2014, Margaret moved back to Cedar Rapids to be close to her family.

Margaret was known for seeing beauty in everything. An elegant woman, she warmed everything and everyone around here. Her ability to find humor in all kinds of situations and her creative ability to spin a story made her a joy to be around.

She loved to garden, enjoyed art and culture, and was a wonderful golfer. She was an adventurer – she dived into everything her husband could dream up. They deep-sea dived, rode their bicycles around the U.S. and golfed at as many different places across the country as they could find.

Paramount to all of these attributes, Margaret was the best mother, wife and friend anyone could ask for. Her avocation was fulltime caregiver to her husband, family and friends. She will be dearly missed by all.