Shirley Mae (Taylor) Priest, age 88, of Bexley, passed away of Covid-19 Friday, November 13, 2020, at Mount Carmel East Hospital. She was born in Washington D.C., daughter of the late Cecil and Gladys (Brown) Taylor. She graduated from Ottawa Hills High School and earned a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Toledo University, before teaching second grade at Maryland Ave Elementary School in Bexley.

 

Shirley was preceded in death by her husband Robert V. Priest, her brother, Rev. William C. Taylor, and grandson, Robby Priest. Shirley was a loving and devoted wife of 60 years, mother and grandmother who will be deeply missed by her daughters, Janet Myer, Florida, Susan (Mark) Buechner, North Carolina and Laura (Richard) Letizia, Mt. Vernon, OH; 6 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren and numerous neighbors and friends.

 

Shirley loved life and all God’s creatures. For a time, her home was like a little animal hospital where any wounded creature was taken in and nursed back to health. She enjoyed watching and feeding the squirrels and birds in her beautiful backyard, gardening, and taking walks with her husband, friends and family throughout the neighborhood in Bexley, and spending time with her husband and family at their 2nd home on Lake Erie, where she fed the seagulls every day and even named a few. She was an active member of Bexley United Methodist Church for over 60 years, where she worked on Habitat for Humanity, feeding the 5,000 and Interfaith Hospitality Network. She was devoted to her faith and stayed faithful through daily prayer and devotions till the end.