Sharon Taylor

  Sharon Taylor, age 69 of Mountain City, Tennessee, passed away on Friday, February 26, 2016 at the Vanderbilt Medical Center. She was born on October 22, 1946 to the late Robert L. and Lorraine Gentry Curd. In addition to her parents, Sharon was preceded in death by her husband Albert Joe Taylor and uncle and aunt, Harold W. ‘Jack’ Gentry and Elizabeth Gentry.   Sharon was a very private and reserved individual who was a devout Christian. Her faith was central to her life, and she was committed to spreading the gospel. True to what Jesus said, she did many good deeds that only the Lord knows. In her personal life, she was continuously studying and was an accomplished watercolor painter. She also had a sharp sense of humor.   Sharon earned her BA from King College, her Master’s degree from Appalachian State University, and her Doctorate in Education from the University of Tennessee. She believed in the value of education, and her work on this earth was devoted to teaching. Early in her career, she taught elementary school in Washington, GA and in Johnson County, TN. In 1990, she began working for the Tennessee Department of Correction as Principal of the Education Department at the North East Correctional Complex in Johnson County. She was especially proud of a victim’s impact class that she taught, which was intended to teach empathy and understanding of the impact of crimes. In 2010, she was promoted to the position of warden, serving at the Mark H. Luttrell Correctional Center in Memphis and then at NECX.     Sharon is survived by her daughter, Susan Taylor, who is a PhD Student at Harvard University in the Anthropology Department; brother-in-law, Tom Taylor and his wife Pat; cousins: Eric and Debbie Taylor; aunt and uncle, Frank and Jackie Gentry; niece and nephew: Tonya Taylor Mason and Stephen Ernest Taylor; special friends: Janet Rhea Payne, Pat Reece, Angel Dickson, Shannon Boudle Clark, Evelyn Hagler, Sherrie Douthitt, Nancy Warren, Cheryl Gibson, Bobby Taylor, James Smith, Susan Shipe, Shay Visser, Laura Visser, and Martina Visser.   The family will receive friends from 6-7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1, 2016 at the Mountain City Funeral Home Chapel. Funeral Service will be conducted at 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 2, 2016 at the Mountain City Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor Harry Wills officiating. Graveside service and interment will follow at the Taylor Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Stephen Taylor, Bobby Taylor, Jeff Motsinger, John Greever, Eric Farrow, and Jerry Gentry. Honorary pallbearers are James Karl Greever, Walter Mahala, William Thomas, James Smith, Wayne Lewis, Eric Taylor, Tom Taylor, Mike McCroskey and Frank Gentry.   In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, PO Box 4072, Pittsfield, MA 01202 or by visiting www.lls.org   At other times, the family will receive friends at the home of Tom and Pat Taylor, 3111 Forge Creek Road, Mountain City, TN.