Gloria Taylor

Gloria J. Taylor, 84, of Pequot Lakes, died Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at St. Josephs Medical Center in Brainerd. Funeral services are scheduled for 11:00 AM, Friday, November 2, 2007 at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Pequot Lakes with Reverend Frank Milo officiating. Family will receive friends one hour prior to services.
Gloria Jo (Josephine) Gould was born August 21, 1923 on her grandfathers farm near the Canadian border. She was the daughter of Hawley and Susan (Cerosky) Gould. She grew up in International Falls and graduated from high school there. On October 23, 1943 she was united in marriage to Paul Sandstrom. The couple had three daughters. She later married Donald C. Taylor and David Lofgren. All three of her husbands preceded in her in death. Gloria was an artist. She wrote and illustrated a column on fashion for the local newspaper while in high school. She later painted life-sized nativity scenes for the churches she belonged to. She was passionate about nature and conservation. She tended a garden of wonderful wild flowers which she also preserved with butterflies in glass domes and frames. A local expert on butterflies, she gave talks and lectures on butterfly behavior and habitat. Gloria also enjoyed oil painting. She was not only an artist, she also loved music. She played the guitar, harmonica and the accordion. She encouraged her daughters to develop a love of all music, nature and art.

Gloria will be missed by her three daughters, Carol (Keith Schedler) Khayatt, of Ramsey, Jill (Dr. Thomas E) Kaiser, of Duluth, MN, Valerie Sandstrom-Taylor, of Baltimore, MD; her grandsons, Paul Groinus, of Minneapolis, Tony (Juliet) Kaiser, of Duluth, MN, and Andy (Patty) Kaiser and her great-granddaughter, Evelyn Kaiser, all of Sherman Oaks, CA; her mother, Susan Bovee, of Mesa, AZ; and her very special friend and companion, Lynn Headlee. She was preceded in death by her husbands; her father, Hawley; and her step-father, Cleve Bovee.