Mary Taylor

Mary Joyce Taylor, a lifelong resident of Gulfport, Mississippi, died on Friday, February 7, 2020.  She was 92 years old.

Mary Joyce loved her Gulf Coast home. In her long life there, she worked at the local newspaper, was a photographer’s assistant, and clerked at Sears and a grocery store in Bayou View. She completed her work life as a longtime hardware expert for Coast Hardware.

Mary Joyce was an active woman with a wide range of interests. She loved playing and watching tennis and enjoyed playing golf, often with the men in the family. She could fix small appliances, painted in oils, was an accomplished photographer, and loved Gunsmoke. She was a devoted Saints fan, even in the lean years. Mary Joyce had definite ideas about politics and followed the national news avidly. She delighted in keeping up with the happenings in the lives of those she loved and was widely known for supporting her neighbors and being a loyal friend.

Mary Joyce was also the devoted owner of beloved companion dogs Pepper, T.J., and Norton, as well as a number of cats who adopted her!

Mary Joyce was preceded in death by her mother and father, Thyme and E.S. Taylor; her step-mother, Gabriella Lytle Taylor;  and three sisters, Bettye Jo Collins, Susan Taylor, and Janet Taylor Myers.

She is survived by her nieces Joanne Barrett, Susan Ivey, Pam Myers-Morgan, LeeAnn Foltz, and Andrea Levanti; as well as her step-brother Jody McWilliams (Anne), and their children, Heather and Mark; the Brady family; and numerous cousins, second cousins and extended family. She will be greatly missed by all of them.

Services will be held Wednesday, February 12, 2020, at 11:00 am, at First United Methodist Church in Gulfport, MS, to be followed by a graveside service at Evergreen Cemetery.

The family appreciates all the love and support Mary Joyce received in her final days from friends, extended relations, family on the Coast, and people in the medical community.  Memorial gifts may be made to First United Methodist Church in Gulfport or to the Humane Society of South Mississippi.

RIEMANN FAMILY FUNERAL HOME, 11280 Three Rivers Road, Gulfport, is serving the family.