Margaret Irby Taylor

Margaret Irby Taylor (Joy), 84 passed away at home on October 1, 2023. Margaret was born on April 25, 1939 to Louis D. Irby, Sr. and Margaret Lowe Irby, in Washington, D. C. Known to family and friends as “Joy” or "Aunt Joy", she was always willing to talk to anyone that needed her. She came from a large family and loved her extended family of nieces and nephews. She even kept a log book in case she missed a birthday or wedding. She was our own Facebook of the family.. Her smile was so brilliant that people were drawn to her easily. While working at NAS she decided to check out the 4th of July picnic on the base and that is how my father, James M. Taylor, Jr., was drawn to her. They were inseparable. My parents grew up 9 miles apart in Washington D. C., but had to travel almost 1000 miles to meet by chance at a beach. They were married in 1960. They shared 59 years together and raised three children. As a military wife my mom always said her profession was “professional mover”. With over 13 moves under her belt we could pack a house in just under a weekend. She still had time to work, go to school, volunteer at our schools, churches, and take us to swimming, music and ballet lessons. She even joined us in swimming lessons while I was in high school. My mother always found the local library and calendars of free events no matter where we lived. With dad at sea she was raising us on her own but she thought art, crafts, music, dancing, skating and reading were important and inexpensive ways to keep us busy. She would put us in fuzzy socks, turn the radio on and teach us how to dance. To this day each of us enjoy these things. She loved volunteering at Saint Anne’s Round Up in Pensacola baking bread and making lifelong friends. After Jim retired from the Navy they both returned to Pensacola. Joy worked at Sears until both were hired at NAS Pensacola. Not one to stay still, Joy went back to school for accounting. She retired from civil service and Jim retired shortly thereafter. Her husband, James M. Taylor, Jr. preceded her in death in 2019, and I’m sure he was waiting for her at the gates. She was preceded in death by her parents; Louis D. Irby, Sr. and Margaret V. Lowe, along with her siblings; Kay Madigan and Louis “Jay” Irby, Jr. She also leaves two siblings to cherish her memory; Leon (Marianne) Irby, and Faith (Jerry) Salter. She is survived by three children; Jeannie (Steve) Bodie, Mary Gibson, and James (Belinda) Taylor, III. She also leaves her beloved grandsons; Jame, Justin (Skye), Coby (Angelique), and Dakota Gibson, great grandchildren; Cheyenne, Brody, Castiel, Ember, and Evangeline; and sister in law, Rose Irby. She loved all the nieces and nephews. There are just too many to list and her little dog “Chico” too!! Special thanks to my brother, sister, and Aunt Faith. My mother was an independent soul and we all have our own strengths which I hoped made her life easier over the years. This last 5 months my sister has been mom’s full time caregiver, with my aunt filling in to help. They’re a real blessing and she couldn't have stayed home without them. We will all love and miss my mother’s smile and laugh but she is able to dance again like when we were children. Visitation will be October 10, 2023, at 10:30 AM. Funeral Services will follow at 11:30 AM at Faith Chapel Funeral Home South. Father Hank Lech will be officiant. Interment will be in Barrancas National Cemetery, NAS Pensacola. A reception will follow. Pallbearers will be Justin Gibson, Dakota Gibson Matthew Trimble-Dane Ward, Coby Gibson and James Taylor III. Faith Chapel Funeral Home South, 100 Beverly Parkway, Pensacola, is entrusted with arrangements. You may express condolences online at www.fcfhs.com.

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Margaret Irby Taylor

April 25, 1939 - October 1, 2023