Vesta Taylor
December 29, 2002 | Miami News-Record (OK)
Section: News
Vesta Taylor of Miami died Sunday, Dec. 22, 2002, at Integris Baptist Regional Health Center of Miami. She was 88.
Taylor was born July 15, 1914 at Wyandotte, to Ira s. and Judy Maude (Garman) Fisk. She lived in Miami and Ottawa County most of her life. She was a real estate broker and educator. She received her Associates of Arts Degree in 1931 from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M of Miami, then her Bachelors of Arts from Northeastern State University of Tahlequah in 1937 and her Master of Arts from Oklahoma State University in 1942. She was certified to teach elementary education, Spanish, English and history. She taught school in Ottawa County, Wyandotte, Miami and Jacksonville, Ill. from 1931 to 1979. In 1979 she became a real estate broker at First Lady Reality of Miami and taught real estate licensing at N.E. Oklahoma Vocational Technical School at Afton from 1980 to 1994.
Her activities included; past radio spell master for weekly county spelling groups at the Coleman Theatre, Miami's weekly 4-H radio program, past volunteer secretary Ottawa County Senior Center; member of the Coleman restoration committee of the Friends of the Coleman; member Friends of the Library, member AAUW, Ottawa County Retired Educators, member Miami Classroom Teachers and the Tri-State Travel Club. She was named outstanding Coach of Ottawa County 4-H Clubs, Outstanding Alumnus All Years for the High School Reunion for Wyandotte, Champion Speller for Northeast Oklahoma Retirees.
She married George E. Taylor Aug. 17, 1957. He preceded her in death in Oct. 1963. She was also preceded in death by two stepdaughters, Joyce Taylor and Jean Luther; one sister Juliet Shewmake and one brother, Frank Fisk.
She is survived by one sister, Geraldine Fist Brown of San Antonio, Texas; two nephews and one niece.
Services will be 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 4, 2003 at the First Baptist Church of Miami with the Rev. Bob Barker and the Rev. Jackie Allen officiating. A private family burial will follow in G.A.R. Cemetery of Miami. Arrangements are under the direction of the Paul Thomas Funeral Home of Miami.
Geraldean Brown, lovingly known as Jerry, passed away on August 1, 2012 having lived a very fulfilled and blest life. Jerry was born at the family's farmhouse in Ottawa County, Oklahoma on August 18, 1923, to Ira S. Fisk and Maude Garman Fisk. She went to school in a one room schoolhouse, graduated from Wyandotte High School in 1941, and attended Oklahoma A & M (now Oklahoma State). Following her education at Oklahoma A&M, she returned home to teach in a one room schoolhouse.
Jerry met her husband of 51 years, Leonard Brown, Jr. of San Antonio, on a blind date during the time he was stationed at nearby Camp Crowder, Missouri prior to his deployment to the Philippines during World War II. They married on Nov. 26, 1943. Upon Leonard's return from the war in Dec. 1945, Jerry, Leonard and baby daughter Linda moved to San Antonio where Jerry lived for the rest of her life.
Jerry was a very active member of Laurel Heights United Methodist Church for sixty-six years serving in the United Methodist Women, as a pre-school Sunday school teacher, on the Altar Guild, and in many other capacities. She was also a founding and dedicated member of the Bluebird Auxiliary, volunteering in many areas of the Southwest Texas Methodist Hospital for forty-two years. Another one of her volunteer efforts was serving as a founding member and president of the Bexar County School for Girls.
Jerry's other volunteer activities included Delta Gamma Alumnae, Prevent Blindness (vision screening pre-school children for more than 25 years), P.E.O. Chapter X, and the San Antonio Bar Auxiliary. Her greatest passion and love was for family which was exemplified through her involvement in dozens of her children and grandchildren's church, school, fine arts and sports activities.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Leonard Brown, infant son Robert Leonard Brown, her parents Ira S. and Maude Fisk, sisters Juliet Fisk Shewmake and Vesta Fisk Taylor, and brother Frank Fisk.
She is survived by her two daughters; her four grandsons; six great-grandchildren; niece and nephew and extended family members to morn her passing.