Mary Taylor

Mary Lou Taylor, 80, of Rockford, Ohio, died at 10:05 a.m. on Tuesday, March 10, 2015, at the Van Wert In-Patient Hospice Center in Van Wert, Ohio. She was born in Union Township, Van Wert County, Ohio, on May 4, 1934, to Doyle B. and Jennie J. (Mefferd) Stuckey. She graduated in 1952 from Union High School, Union Township, Ohio. She was in the last class to graduate from there. She moved to Rockford in 1961, and worked in retail at Penney's in Van Wert and Celina, and was a secretary at Country Mark in Rockford, and retired from Stammen Insurance in Celina as a secretary. Even with her busy schedule, she was very active in her church, the Rockford United Methodist Church, where she sang in the choir and for many years, directed the Children's Choir. She enjoyed crafts and painting, and was well-known for the hundreds of beautiful Old World Santas which she handpainted, and handstitched their ornate clothing. People would stand in line for the amazing figures. She wrote and co-directed the Rockford Lions Club Variety Shows for 23 years and also was a member of the organization. She formed and organized the Rockford Christmas Walk for the Rockford Chamber of Commerce and was the Rockford Citizen of the Year in 1983. Surviving are three children: Deborah K. (Rick) Temple, Rockford, Ohio, Timothy J. (Ronda) Taylor, Lexington, Tennessee, and Matthew A. (Sheri) Taylor, Van Wert, Ohio. Mary Lou has 8 surviving grandchildren: Aaron "Bubba" (Courtney) Temple, Troy (Jessica) Temple, Jason (Monica) Temple, Joel (Ashley) Temple, Alanna Taylor, Grant Taylor, Jayden Taylor, and Brandt Taylor; there are six great grandchildren: Kayla, McKenna, Gracyn, Emmery, Liberty, and Lyric Temple, and one great-great grandson, Weston. Two sisters survive--Naomi (Jane) Mason of Convoy and Delores (John) Myers of Van Wert. Deceased is one grandson, Ryan Temple, one sister, Ruby McCoy, one brother, William B. Stucky, and two brothers-in-law, Robert McCoy and and Richard Mason. Services will be held on Friday, March 13, 2015, at 10:30 a.m. at Ketcham-Ripley Funeral Home in Rockford with Pastor Chip Steffy officiating. Burial will follow at Convoy Odd Fellows Cemetery, Convoy, Ohio. Friends may call at the funeral home on Thursday from 2:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. and one hour prior to the service on Friday. Memorials may be directed to Van Wert In-Patient Hospice Center, Van Wert, Ohio.