Carol Ann Taylor

"Though the sun may set on the path we walk, your memory will always remain in my heart."

Carol Ann Taylor was the daughter of Albert J. Taylor (d) and Mary E. Doyle Taylor. She was the eldest of six children, followed by Marilyn (d), Kathy, Alan, Jeff, and Marjorie. She is survived by her 98 year old mother, four of her younger siblings, her niece: Danielle Taylor, and her nephews: Ryan Taylor and Alexander Taylor.

Nicknamed "Redhead" by her maternal grandfather and "Rusty" by her friends in college, Carol's signature red hair and green eyes, along with her December birthday, made her a real Christmas Carol, as she liked to joke.

Growing up, Carol was proficient on the accordion, even if it wasn't her instrument of choice. She earned about every badge imaginable as a Girl Scout and kept a remarkable, systematic accounting of all her correspondences, photos, keepsakes, and accomplishments throughout her formative years.

Carol graduated from Pitman High School in 1966 and attended Fairleigh Dickinson University, where she graduated with a BA in Psychology in 1970 and an MA in Clinical Psychology in 1974. She went on to earn various Certifications from Kantor Family Institute in Cambridge, MA.

Carol was a child of the 60's. She backpacked through Europe with two college friends in the summer of 1971 - an incredible and exciting experience that would stay with her the rest of her life. Carol loved music, especially Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin, The Beatles, The Doors, and the Moody Blues. She was also a connoisseur of films from the golden age. Her favorite actress was always Katherine Hepburn.

Carol's love of film and strong feminist streak lead her and a colleague to conduct a vast body of research into ageist and sexist stereotypes in American feature films. They presented a series of papers including "Interpretations of Older Women and Film," "Older Women and the Oscar," "Reel World Versus Real World: Older Women & the Academy Awards" at meetings of the Gerontological Society. Their research paper, "The Mirror Has Two Faces," was published in 2000 by Cambridge University Press, followed by a series of newspaper articles and radio interviews.

Carol was close with her immediate family and cousins from an early age and, throughout most of her adulthood, stayed in touch, attending many family events through the years. She was dedicated to the family genealogy and spent a great deal of her spare time researching family history, particularly on her mother's side.

Carol had a sharp intellect, a keen wit, and a notorious sense of humor. She loved to kid and joke around with everyone, always looking for the humor in things. She excelled at anything she put her mind to, whether work or play. She completed NYTimes crossword puzzles in ink and later enjoyed sudoku. She adored literature and history.

Carol spent most of her adult life living in the Boston area and loved everything about it: the culture, food, the vibe, environment, the weather. It could never be too cold for her and she had fond memories of the blizzard of '78! She continued her career as a family therapist with a private practice, a clinical supervisor, and was also a passionate researcher.

She was sociable with a variety of friends from school and work. While working for North Shore Community Mental Health Center in Salem, MA, she met a lot of her closest friends. This group of therapists went on to form a coed softball team known and the "No Shows" (due to the agency being on the North Shore of Massachusetts) and was their star pitcher. She thrived in every area of her life throughout the time she remained in New England.

In her later years, Carol moved out west, as most of her siblings and parents were there. Her first stop was Pagosa Springs, CO, then Tucson, AZ, followed by Albuquerque, NM, and back to Tucson, AZ, where she lived out her remaining years at a memory care facility, serving as a positive influence on those she was surrounded by.

She will be missed by everyone whose life she touched.