Loretha Renee Duckery Taylor

Loretha Renee Duckery Taylor was born June 30, 1943, in Sterlington, Louisiana to parents: Leona Howard and Edward White. She later met and married Mr. Edward “ET” Taylor (the baddest scoundrel to ever hit Texas…and knew it) on December 17, 1961. And to this union 8 children were added. The Taylors were married for 43 years and raised their family in Lockhart.  On September 12, 2022, she finished her work and entered eternal rest.  She was 79 years old.

By occupation, she was a cook and knew what to do with pots and pans. Her turkey dressing was always a crowd favorite. Folks literally ordered it for any occasion…birthdays, church functions, anniversaries.  You have NEVER tasted better “dressing” than the one she made.  But let’s NOT forget that her chicken and dumplings were Heaven on earth.  Lockhart is known for barbeque…but she put Lockhart on the map for chicken and dumplings. 

There is no doubt that “family” was her top priority and love was her best attribute.  Her heart was bigger than her chest could hold.  A few things you need to know about Loretha Taylor – she was love personified, she was loving, kind, friendly, giving, warm, compassionate, godly, wise….and the list of positive attributes goes on.

Her family was her pride and joy. She taught us to love each other and to take care of each other.  For her, family was first and foremost. She was also friendly, loving, and giving to other people.  They (our parents) modeled that for us.  

She was an extraordinary mother…and mothers just don’t get any better than Loretha Taylor. Not only did she have 8 kids, when they were grown and left home…she jumped into foster care and showed the same heart to those who were placed in her care. She raised her own kids and then went and got some more kids. She had enough love in her heart to cover her family but had enough love left to share with foster kids and the community around her. She loved “family” and if you stayed around long enough…she would make you family too. 

If she saw a need, she would do her very best to meet the need. Food, clothes, a place to stay, a car to drive. If she could help…family, friends, church, community…she would. She often fed the neighborhood.  All roads led to the Taylor house. Food was the main attraction, but love was the main ingredient. She always cooked for an army even when the army she birthed had left home.

She went by many names. Some called her “Queen”, “Sweetheart”, and “Honey”.  Of course, “Mom” and “Mother” were used by her children but most of the family called her “Big Mom.”  She had a big heart and a big laugh.  Her laugh was contagious, and she laughed a lot. 

One of her favorite laughs was to reminisce about Joe Joe and the Scooby Doo underwear. Ask one of the kids and they will start laughing even now trying to tell the story. She loved gathering her family and friends together and enjoying those kinds of special moments.

Happy, full of energy, contagious laugh, not afraid of anything, courageous, bold, with a “let’s go” type of personality.  There will never be another Loretha Taylor.  Her hobby was fishing.  She didn’t like fishing…she loved fishing. And any time she could find a place to fish…consider it done.  She loved to fish but she also loved to play dominoes and was arguably the best domino player in the Taylor crew.  

She was an excellent listener, a great mentor, and a life coach. She would drop some of the best wisdom and advice if you took the time to sit and talk with her. She never got in your business, but she would definitely give you some things to think about. She would never tell us what to do but she gave us all the information we needed to make a good decision. And whatever decision we made, she made sure we owned them. She absolutely loved her girls and also had an absolute special place in her heart for her boys.   

Some may not have known how incredibly funny she was. She had an incredible sense of humor and would just randomly say some of the funniest things. Cool is an understatement. Always beautiful, always classy, always carried herself as a lady, and always had the right jewelry. If asked if she was looking good, she’d give you her classic “you know it!”  She was always the prettiest girl at the party.

Her commitment to family and community are noted but her faith in God and her commitment to her church were also exemplary. From Mason Lone Oak to First Baptist Lockhart, to Greater Bethel, and back to Mason Lone Oak…she did her thing.  In terms of involvement and service given…she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at Greater Bethel.  In every church she has been a part of…once she committed, she absolutely committed. Faithful is the perfect word to describe Sis. Taylor. 

She was also an amazing role model. She was never loud but her presence spoke for her.  For many, she was the example of what a woman, mother, and grandmother should be.  Loving. Caring. Giving. Wise. Funny. 

With beautiful being the most common word to describe the person and the love of Loretha Taylor. It is rare that a woman so physically beautiful would have an internal beauty that was more beautiful than her external beauty.  Loretha Taylor was every bit of that.  Beautiful is exactly what she was. We will never forget you or what you put in us.  Our hope is to continue to make you proud. 

For those that don’t know…a GREAT woman has left the building.  If you missed it, you missed a great one. Loretha Duckery Taylor will forever be remembered by her family and friends as the physical example of what love looks like up close and personal.  She leaves to carry on her memory 8 children:  Edward Jr., Carla, Terry, Tonnie, Angelena, Andrea, Joseph, and Carlos. She also leaves a sister-in-law Shirley Manning, 25 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and a long list of nieces, nephews, and family that she loved dearly.

To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. We are “Taylor-made”, and we know you loved us, and we know you knew we loved you.  Thank you for everything: every hug, kiss, kick, talk, laugh, domino game, story told, whooping, rescue, meal, and prayer.

Rest in peace mom, mother, Queen, Sweetheart, Honey, Big Mom, “Loreeka”, “Aunt Reet”, Aunt Loretha, and Sis. Taylor. Thank you, God, for the gift given in Loretha Renee Duckery Taylor and the privilege of loving her and being loved by her. 

Services were held at McCurdy Funeral Home with a visitation on September 16^th, 2022, and funeral service followed the next day September 17, 2022, at 1pm burial followed at Lockhart City Cemetery.