Marjorie C. Taylor

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Marjorie C. Taylor died Tuesday November 30, 2010 at her home in Vineyard Haven. She was 87. Born in West Chop on May 21, 1923, to Llewellyn and Lydia Cleveland, she was one of seven children who helped her father at his florist business and later worked at the greenhouse and family vegetable stand in the summers with her siblings Elizabeth, Melvin, Lena, Ruth, Harold, and Rita.

After graduating from Tisbury High School, she started working at Rose Vincent’s Paper Store, where she worked for many years as a store clerk. After a family friend, Harry Taylor (now deceased), returned from the war, they married in 1945.

While Harry worked at the Steamship Authority after he returned from the Army, Marjorie worked her entire life on Main Street, Vineyard Haven, and became a well-known figure downtown. After the paper store, she went on to work at Tony Oliver’s Store, for which you could see her zipping down the street on her blue moped. From there she went on to work at Tobin’s store, which later became Holmes Hole, and then finally Vineyard Dry Goods.

Marjorie was a life-long Vineyarder who never wanted to leave the Island. She loved to walk the beach with friends and family to collect shells and sea glass. An excellent gardener who loved pink roses, she often provided advice to friends and family on how to get the best results in their gardens. Marjorie knew all the Island birds from their songs and by sight, faithfully ensuring the feeders were stocked so that they would make it through each winter.

An active member of the First Baptist Church at Vineyard Haven, she often helped with the teas and bazaars; she was known to make excellent fudge. Her friends at Havenside where she lived recall her kindness, and that she always had a nice word to say about everyone she met.

Marjorie had many nieces and nephews who came to visit her from all over the country. As children, they would delight going into the stores where she worked because they always left with a trinket to go home with. “Aunt Margie” was known to be a wonderful listener and whenever anyone in the family had a problem she would be the first that they called.

Every Thanksgiving she would have a feast where many of the family gathered each year to catch up and enjoy her cooking. Always thoughtful, she knew what favorite treat each child liked and would bake a batch of cookies and brownies whenever they came for a visit. She took great delight in seeing how her nieces and nephews grew up to later have families of their own, which they too, brought to the Vineyard to visit with Aunt Margie and carry on the tradition.

Marjorie is survived by her brother, Harold Cleveland of Tilton, New Hampshire, and her sister, Rita Cleveland, of Wrentham. She will be greatly missed by all the nieces and nephews and grand-nieces and grand-nephews, now spread out from St. Croix to California, New England to Alaska.

A graveside service was held Tuesday, December 7, at the Oak Grove Cemetery in Vineyard Haven. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Island Hospice, P.O. Box 4188, 107 Beach Road, Suite 104, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568.