Mary L. Taylor

Mary L. Taylor

Cedar Rapids

Mary L. Taylor, 71, of Cedar Rapids, IA, died August 25 of complications of Alzheimer’s disease. She is survived by her husband, Eric; her daughter, Mollie (Ari), and grandchildren Eliza and Teddy; her sister, Betty (Earl); her nieces, Emily (Robb), Molly (Todd), and Sarah (Neil); and her great-niece and -nephews. Her sister, Barb (Peter), passed away in 2016.

Mary was born in Des Moines, IA, the youngest daughter of Esther (née Schlue) and James Taylor. Esther and Jim raised their three daughters in Clinton, IA, on the banks of the Mississippi. Jim died of a heart attack when Mary was sixteen. Mary enrolled at Luther College before transferring to Iowa State and then eventually to the University of Iowa, where she received a BSN. After attending a single lecture by a nurse attorney (and deciding, for reasons passing understanding, that law school sounded like fun), Mary applied to the University of Iowa School of Law. She took the LSAT exam at the American Embassy in Germany, where she was working as an ICU nurse. She and Eric met in the Iowa law library. A year later, they were married at the courthouse in their blue jeans.

After their daughter Mollie was born, Mary began another graduate program at Iowa, this time in religion and ethics. She balanced caring for Mollie, Eric, and her mother with her studies. She also worked as a hospitalization referee, occasionally bringing Mollie along on middle-of-the-night hospital trips when Eric was traveling for work.

When Mollie was in high school, Mary began teaching at Coe College. Although she had been a nurse, a lawyer, a trust officer, and a referee, teaching became her passion. She remained at Coe for more than fifteen years, splitting her time between the nursing and rhetoric departments and keeping a special eye on her international students. She cared for her mother, Esther, until Esther passed away in 2007.

Mary and Eric traveled and took Mollie on myriad adventures. Ever the good sport, Mary endured long trail rides Mollie wanted to take, cheerfully drove carloads of furniture and plants to her sisters in Texas and Michigan, and played many, many rounds of golf with Eric. Barb, Betty, and Mary joined their lifelong friends from Camp Hitaga on camping trips all around the country and gallivanted through New York and Chicago, taking in Broadway shows, the ballet, and the opera. With an eye toward practicing for retirement, Mary and Eric took road trips to visit the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, to see the Black Hills, and down to Florida to escape the Iowa winter. Although Alzheimer’s prevented her from caring for her grandchildren the way she would have wanted, she delighted in the time she spent playing with Eliza and anticipating Teddy’s arrival. Mary moved into the memory care wing of Grand Living Indian Creek in 2024, where the staff, together with the staff of Suncrest Hospice, cared for her with compassion and dedication until she passed away. Eric visited her every day.

In her final months, Mary enjoyed many visits from family and friends. In her last weeks, she sat outside in the sun, listening to her grandchildren play as Mollie and Eric argued about case law.

Donations in Mary’s memory may be made to Planned Parenthood North Central States or to the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund. Visitation will be held at Indian Creek Country Club on Wednesday, August 27, from 3pm to 5pm.