Mary Ann Taylor

On Thursday, June 11, 2015, Mary Ann Taylor, 87, left us to join her beloved husband Virgil.

Mary Ann was born Sept. 28, 1927, to Dutch immigrants, Herman and Hubertine Boumans in Valier. She and her seven siblings grew up on the family farm spending their days cooking, cleaning, feeding livestock, milking cows, and anything else needed to keep the family farm running. The work ethic instilled in Mary Ann on the farm carried over into everything that she did.

Mary Ann and her sisters were enrolled in school at the Ursuline Academy in Great Falls. Mary Ann always described it as an adjustment because they had only spoken Dutch at home and they were required to speak English at the Academy. She attended until she and her siblings successfully convinced their father Herman that they would rather go to public school in Valier. She graduated from Valier High School.

After graduating, Mary Ann attended the University of Montana where she met her husband to be, Virgil "Stats" Taylor. They married on May 8, 1948. Mary Ann and Virgil moved to Spokane and had three children, Larry, Gary and Patty. In 1958, they returned to Missoula and put down their roots at what would be their permanent home and had their fourth child, Jeanne. Mary Ann took great pride in being a stay at home mom, raising her children and tending to her home.

Mary Ann was known in her neighborhood for having a perfectly manicured lawn and beautiful red geraniums. Many neighbors would stop and admire her yard and marvel at how she was still able to mow her lawn and do all her work at her age. She had always expressed that she wanted to stay in her own home where she was comfortable until the end. Thankfully with the assistance of all of her family, especially her daughter Jeanne and son-in-law Mark who lived across the street, she was able to do so.

Mary Ann will also be remembered as being a great friend. Whether going to coffee or sitting in her living room chatting for hours, she filled your time with her interesting stories of growing up, traveling with her husband, and her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, as well as listened to all that you had to say and gave you advice with love and kindness.

Mary Ann was preceded in death by her husband, Virgil L. Taylor; her parents Herman and Hubertine Boumans; siblings, Bertha Senden, Marie Antoinette Graham, Joseph Boumans, Herman Boumans Jr. and Hubertine Theresa Fitchen; and many friends who made this journey before her.

She is survived by two siblings, Philomene Rossberg and Walter J. Boumans; her sister-in-law Glenna Boumans and her children, Larry Taylor and wife Debbie, Gary Taylor and wife Gerry Steele, Patty Haisch and husband Mike, Jeanne Waiss and husband Mark, and honorary daughter Gayle Waller.

Also surviving are seven grandchildren and their spouses who Mary Ann found great joy in and loved very much, Robert Taylor and his wife Susan, Laney Hensel and her husband Cody, Brittany Waiss and her spouse Ben Arnott, Lindsay Taylor and her fiancé Corey Janoff, Lauren Taylor, and Clint Hultberg and Rae-Ann Beaulieu.

Mary Ann also found great joy in her great-grandchildren over the last few years. A term first coined by Madden, she was known to each of them as Grandma-Great, and will forever be imprinted on their hearts. She is survived by Isaac Boid, Madden and Kason Hensel, her "little girlie" Taylor Grace Arnott, and step-great-grandchildren Bella and Piper Beaulieu.

She also leaves behind long-time best friends Pearl Shaubut and Marilynn Marek, and many other good friends and neighbors whose lives have been impacted by Mary Ann and will not soon forget her. Many of her neighbors have said that it will not be the same driving by her house and not seeing her outside or in the window waving.

At Mary Ann's request there will not be a service, but the family has instead decided to hold a celebration of life later this summer when all her family can be together. In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to the charity of the donor's choice. Arrangements are under the care of Garden City Funeral Home.
Read Mary Taylor's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.