Florence Ann Taylor passed away peacefully on January 2 at the age of 94 with her family at her side. The seventh of twelve children of Ed and Josephine (Friedrich) Murtha, Ann was born on the family’s farm southwest of Parkston, SD. After studying at Notre Dame in Mitchell, SD, Ann taught for a year in a one-room schoolhouse near Parkston. She then headed west to Black Hills Teachers College to continue her education. It was there that the beautiful Ann met a handsome young airman from Illinois, Warren Taylor. The two married on June 11, 1951, at Parkston’s Sacred Heart Church. Within weeks, the newlyweds who had each scarcely left their respective family farms, shipped off for a series of life-changing adventures on Air Force bases in England, Germany, and the United States.
Following 21 years of military life and having made many lifelong friends, Ann and Warren settled in Princeton, Illinois. Ann was involved in countless church, school, and civic organizations, using her boundless energy and talents to enrich the lives of her children and to serve her local communities. She was known to break into an old-time song when she thought it might elicit a smile or use her razor-sharp wit to crack a perfectly timed one-liner. She was always there for anyone in need, from the new family arriving at an Air Force Base to the neighborhood kids in need of a Scout Leader. Ann regularly demonstrated her compassion for others and in turn she was loved by all.
Ann and Warren’s long and loving marriage created the legacy for which she will be forever remembered – her family. A fun, witty, and devoted mother, Ann is survived by her son Father Tom of Peoria, IL, daughter Rosemary (Dave Treftz) of Minneapolis, MN, son Warren of Canada, son Roger (Amy) of Lake Forest, IL, sisters Joan Schoenfelder of Parkston, SD, Noreen Cyr of Houston, Texas, Lois Panayi of Georgetown, TX, Carol Naatz of Pittsburgh, PA, and brothers John (Anne) Murtha of Dimock, SD, and Tim (Timothea) Murtha of Bartlesville, OK, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. Ann was a source of unending warmth and love to her four grandchildren: Dean Treftz (Katey), Carolyn Taylor (Matt Grundman), Eva and Ella Taylor, and four great-grandchildren: Calvin Grundman and William Taylor, and Dexter and Milo Johnson.
Ann is predeceased by Warren, her husband of 55 years, her son, Joseph Taylor, who died in infancy, her parents Edward and Josephine (Friedrich) Murtha, brothers Joseph, Tom and Bill, and sisters Marianne and Fran.
Visitation will be on Sunday, January 7, 2024, from 5:00 – 7:00pm, followed by a rosary service at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Parkston. A funeral mass will be held on Monday, January 8, 2024, at 11am at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, followed by a funeral luncheon. Interment will be at Oakland Cemetery in Princeton, Illinois, where Ann and Warren will repose together.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Sacred Heart Catholic Church.
