Carol (Nord) Merritt Taylor

With loving memories of “Carol (Nord) Merritt Taylor”,

Renee, your mom has been implanted in my memory as she prepped for work or was getting home from work. I was and am impacted by her heart to serve people as a nurse. She was the first actual nurse I personally new. Spending teenage girlfriend time with you at your house gave this glimpse of a career that serves.

Renee and Family, Sending so much love.

Renee, Julie and family, many prayers and hugs as you remember your mom and grandma, great-grandmother.

I first learned of Carol’s resolve to make changes in her life, when I found a baby food jar with a liquid,and half smoked cigarettes. As I’m a curious and person with poor boundaries, I opened the jar and took a sniff. It was a vile jolting smell, consisting of ammonia and half smoked cigarettes butts. I later asked Carol about the jar, she smiled and informed me it was her anti- smoking adversion technique. Anytime she had a craving to smoke,she would open the jar, take a big whiff of the nose insulting nastiness. She was successful in ending her addiction to cigarettes. It always stuck in my mind,and I swear I can still smell the stench. When I quit, I didn’t make a jar, but used the memory of Carol’s genius method for inspiration and strength to get me to stop smoking. So I thank you Carol for my six years of being smoke free, just by your example.
My best memory is of her coming to my side at the District Memorial Hospital on her day off, when I was a terrified teenager that had to have emergency surgery at what had come to be named the Hospital of Death. I literally held the anesthesiologists hand away from my mouth with the anesthesia until I saw Carol walk into the room. I knew she would come, because that’s the kind of person she was, loving kind consistent and there when you needed her. And as my own mother wasn’t there at that time, she was a mother to me at that time.
My favorite funny memory of Carol, was when they had this gigantic dog named Jack, that had incredibly thick fur and was very very hot. Renee and I had come back from school, and Carol had shaved that poor thing, everywhere except his head. He was so ashamed and embarrassed he didn’t want to come out from under the porch. But he was much cooler, any eventually did adjust to the new partial lion look. Carol did love her animals. When the family dog Chan became very ill,it was extremely difficult for her to put Chan down. You’ll have to ask Renee about that experience, Carol said it’d be like putting down one of her own kids,she couldn’t manage to make that choice. Other methods had to be resorted to, but were attempted,but out of love.
I admire Carol who when women being the head of the house and single-handedly raising their children, Carol did so and did so with the best of her ability, a sense of reality, that I really appreciated because no other adults had ever been so honest and open and treated me with so much respect. I never knew her to utter an unkind or cruel word, all the interactions I had with her,with one exception where Renee and I made her late for work ,she was always smiling and just an incredibly pleasant person with a very pleasant soul. Rest well Carol. You lived your life extremely well. Thank you for leaving me a sister and a sister that I hope I’ll get to know better. You will be dearly missed by all. Love Donna Sireno