BETTYE-ANN (VAYSON) TAYLOR

There is no way to communicate just how special our wife, mother, grandmother, aunt and friend, Bettye-Ann Taylor, was. There are no words that can accurately depict just how beautiful her smile, laugh, and spirit were. There is also no way to describe how deeply we will miss the love that she showered upon us. Her story is a story of love, resilience, curiosity, charm, and family.

Bettye-Ann was born Bettye-Ann Vayson in Bellevue, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, on March 26, 1936, to Pauline (Brown) Vayson and Stanley Vayson. She spent her childhood in Bellevue with her parents and her foster brother, Earl, whom she loved dearly. During the summer months she would visit her mother’s family in Baltimore, Maryland. These trips were the beginning of a lifelong love of travel for Bettye-Ann.

Bettye-Ann was the only African American student in her school from kindergarten through her senior year of high school; however, she did not allow this to have any influence on her educational experience. Her thirst for information and knowledge led her to become an editor for the school yearbook and, a volunteer on the Library Staff. At the age of 17, just after completing her Junior year in high school, Bettye-Ann was named the 1953 Sahara Temple of Shriners Pageant Queen. She then traveled to Denver, CO to participate in the National Shriners Talent and Beauty Pageant, where she placed 5th and was the only winner in the high school division. The pageants benefitted The Shrine Tuberculosis and Cancer Research Foundation.

In 1954, on the same day that she graduated from Bellevue High School, Bettye-Ann lost her mother. A few months later, she lost her foster brother, Earl. While these losses were devastating to Bettye-Ann, she did not let them derail her. In the Fall of 1954, she entered Duquesne University, where she began her studies in Journalism. But during her Freshman year in March of 1955, she suffered another setback; she and her father were robbed at gunpoint and tied up in their home. She rarely discussed it but never forgot the incident, so she always made sure that the house was secure and that her daughters and grandchildren always stayed vigilant when it came to safety.

In 1958, she received her Bachelors of Arts degree from Duquesne, where she was the first African American woman to complete the Journalism program, Bettye-Ann moved to Washington. D.C., and began working for the Federal Aviation Agency. It was while she was in D.C., that she met Robert “Bobby” Taylor at the wedding of mutual friend, John Malachi. For Bettye-Ann and Bobby it was “love at first sight” so by 1960, they had married and moved to Chicago, Illinois, where Bettye-Ann worked as a case worker for the Cook County Department of Public Welfare Aid to Dependent Children’s Program.

Over the next four years, Bettye-Ann and Bobby had two daughters, Marti, and Alison. They moved from Illinois to California, and then ultimately settled in Bobby’s hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1964.

Bettye-Ann lived in Indianapolis for the next 60 years where she curated a beautiful home and life for her husband and children. She had such a curious and adventurous spirit and lived a life so full, that she checked off almost all of the items on her “bucket list” before the term had even been coined.

Bettye-Ann’s work and volunteer life were directly related to the things that she was passionate about. Her compassion and concern for others saw her continue to work on behalf of children through the 1960’s as a Social Worker for the Indianapolis Public School System. In the early 1970’s, she held a position as an editor for the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce before becoming a Travel Agent in the 1980’s. She also completed the Purdue Extension Master Gardener Program in the 1980’s, a program through which she volunteered helping people in the Indiana community with their horticultural concerns. A life member of The Northeasterners, Inc., Bettye-Ann served as the National President from 2000-2002.

Much of Bettye-Ann’s personal time was filled with reading. She had an extensive collection of mystery novels and maintained her Friends of the Smithsonian membership and National Geographic subscription for over 30 years. Her love of art and photography motivated her to take photography and painting classes.

A major passion of Bettye-Ann’s was travel. She traveled the world with Bobby and their daughters, groups of their friends, or sometimes with other ladies. When Alison created the Girlfriend Getaway, Bettye-Ann and Marti went on every trip. Bettye-Ann’s photo albums include photos from all over the United States, Europe, South America, Asia, and North Africa along with Canada, Mexico and many of the Caribbean Islands.

Music was always playing in the Taylor home. The sounds of Bettye-Ann’s favorites - Lou Rawls, George Benson, Aretha Franklin, B.B King, Stan Getz, and many more – could always be heard playing throughout the house. She shared a love of jazz with Bobby so one would also hear Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Miles Davis, etc. throughout their home. They would go out to concerts and dances frequently and often hosted parties in their home.

The doors to the Taylor home were always open and Bettye-Ann was the perfect hostess. While they were a small family of four, she always cooked enough for extended family and friends that often stopped by. She loved to bake and would makes cakes, pecan rolls, strawberry shortcake (a grandchild favorite) and anything else she was curious enough to try. Everyone loved the famous Nuts and Bolts that she made during the holidays, and she loved everything chocolate!

Bettye-Ann’s most cherished time was spent with family. All of Bobby’s siblings became her sisters and brothers and she cherished every phone call and coffee or lunch visit. Her grandchildren were everything to her and she celebrated every achievement of theirs whether large or small. Bettye-Ann also loved her plants and flowers. The sunroom still thrives with plants that are over 40 years old, and the front and back yards are the results of Bettye-Ann’s years of attention to detail and dedication. The beautiful landscaping will forever represent the boundless love and stunning spirit that is Bettye-Ann Taylor.

Bettye-Ann Taylor departed this earthly life on July 4, 2025, in the home she loved.  She is survived by her devoted husband of 65 years, Robert J. Taylor; daughters, Martha (Tony) Taylor Prather, and Alison Adair Taylor; grandchildren, Alexandria Prather (Thurston) Hamlette, Dominic Joseph Vayson Prather, Grant Christian Prather, Cole  Alexander (Ashley) Fletcher, Austin Adair Fletcher, and bonus grandchildren – Brandon Anthony Prather, Jourdan Blair Fletcher, and Ryan Stephen Fletcher; great-grandchildren, Baldwin Elaine Hamlette and Ellison James Hamlette; sister-in-law, Martha Anne Denny, and a host of nieces, nephews and friends.

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