CHICAGO, Ill. — Rev. Dr. Jiles Joyce Taylor-George, age 70, passed away Tuesday, Oct. 3.
Funeral services were held 11:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 13, at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. Interment followed in Evergreen Cemetery in Evergreen Park, Illinois.
She was born Jan. 10, 1953, in Charleston to Buford and Fannie Mae Taylor, the 10th of 12 children. She gave her life to God at an early age at Union Grove Church.
She attended East Tallahatchie High School and then Mississippi Delta Junior College. where she graduated with her RN license. She was the first black registered nurse to work at Tallahatchie General Hospital. She later moved to Chicago and was a member of Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church, where she was a member of various organizations including the choir.
She was employed and retired from Cook County Hospital, where she met her husband, Henry Lee George. She later joined Trinity United Church of Christ, where she became an ordained deacon and devoted missionary.
Taylor-George was an advocate for education and continued her education by received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from Aurora University. She received her doctorate in theology and was ordained at Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Holcomb. She mentored many in nursing and was part of countless prayer groups.
She was a parish nurse at Trinity United Church of Christ, was a member of the Black Nurses Association, and was a certified grief counselor and support group facilitator.
She was a certified caregiver, and affiliated with Toast Masters International School.
She was also a longtime columnist for The Sun-Sentinel, penning the "Family Caregiving" feature, which offered helpful tips for caregivers as well as general health information..
She was preceded in death by her parents, Buford and Fannie Mae Taylor; twin siblings; and sister, Flora Mae.
She is survived by three sons, Ravaughn (Tanisha), King (Charmaine) and Dennis; brothers, Oscar Taylor of Chicago, Buford Taylor Jr of Peoria, Illinois, Willis Taylor of Chicago and Travis Taylor Sr. of Charleston; sisters, Arkie Alexander of Palos Hills, Illinois, Annie Taylor-Bursey of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Nannie Jean Taylor-Russ of Milwaukee, Shirley Taylor of Bellwood, Illinois, and Wilma Weston of Charleston; her grandchildren, Montray, Anyla, Arianna, King Jr., Keiquan, Kitana, Darius and Samaya, and a host of other family and friends.
