Jeralyn Jones “Jerri” Taylor

Mrs. Jeralyn Jones “Jerri” Taylor, 84, passed away Thursday, September 8, 2022, at Commonwealth Senior Living on the Eastern Shore in Onancock, VA.  Jerri made her home on the Eastern Shore of Virginia after moving from Alabama to be near her daughter in February of 2020.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Foster Earl Taylor and her 4 siblings John Paul Jones, Jean Ann Jones Ferguson, Justine Lucy Jones Rozier and Janice Sue Jones Fossen. She is survived by her daughter Valerie Taylor Gsell, two grandchildren Ian Foster Gsell and Olivia May Gsell and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.  One of Jerri’s talents and interests was genealogy, and she created a detailed family tree for her family and forged relationships between lost or never known relatives.

Born February 25, 1938, in Ashland, KY, she was the youngest of five children, born to the late John Paul Jones and Anna Nicholls Jones. Jerri attended Centre College in Danville, KY, studying to be a teacher of French and Latin. Changing her mind, she switched her course of study to chemistry and then moved to Birmingham, AL to attain her medical technology degree. While in Birmingham, she worked at University Hospital where she met her husband. Following their marriage, they moved to Iowa City, IA for a year so Foster could complete his higher education. They then returned to Alabama and lived in Birmingham where Valerie was born, and finally settled in Wetumpka, where Jerri resided for over 40 years.

She took and taught painting classes and was an accomplished artist, with most of her works being in oil paints. She worked as both a portrait artist and in labs at doctor’s offices before she settled in Lab and X-ray for Lister Hill Health Center in Montgomery where she worked for over 20 years until her retirement.

Throughout Jerri’s life, she made time for important interests in addition to her profession. These included serving as a Girl Scout leader through her daughter’s twelve years in scouting; and being a member of the Montgomery Bridge Club, where she held many offices and was a Silver Life Master.  She organized and coordinated bridge tournaments and loved playing in them as well. She loved cats, Star Trek, and words.  In college she was known to read the dictionary and throughout her life was never without the definition and proper use for any word presented to her.

Jerri was a devoted member of The Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, attending First Christian in Birmingham and later First Christian in Montgomery. She sang in the choir at both churches and sang in the Montgomery Civic Chorale.

While she enjoyed everything she did throughout her life, most importantly loving her family and God, perhaps the most personal reflection of how Jerri approached living is captured in the following shared by her daughter: “I grew up believing there was nothing my mother could not do.  She taught me tenacity, creativity and that I could do anything to which I put my mind.  She taught me to accept no limitations, and to stop and smell the flowers.  We went on many adventures, sometimes just to sniff out a special flower. She loved the beauty in the world and always took the time to stop and appreciate it.”

A service to celebrate Jerri’s life will be held at First Christian Church, in Montgomery, Alabama, on Sunday, April 2, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. Inurnment will be held at Fort Mitchell National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to First Christian Church, 1705 Taylor Road, Montgomery, AL 36117 (www.fccmontgomery.org).

Memory tributes may be shared with the family at www.williamsfuneralhomes.com.

Arrangements by the Williams-Onancock Funeral Home.