Veronica C. (Ronnie) Taylor

UTICA/MARYLAND- Veronica C. (Ronnie) Taylor, aged 84, died peacefully in her sleep at her home in Maryland on January 3rd, 2018. Ronnie was born on Easter Sunday, April 16, 1933 as Veronica Elvira Cianciolo to the late Thomas J. and Mary (DiGiuseppe) Cianciolo. She was a first generation Italian American on her maternal side. Ronnie was a champion swimmer from an early age and enjoyed water skiing at her family’s beloved Tomar Lodge Adirondack summer camps on Seventh and Fourth Lakes. She graduated from Utica Free Academy and SUNY Plattsburgh with a degree in Education where she was an Alpha Kappa Phi. She enjoyed being a member of the Italian Choir of Utica and volunteered for many community events including local elections. A lifelong, consummate entertainer, Ronnie relished gardening and spent her leisure hours making her inimitable southern Italian specialties passed down from her mother. A lifelong traveller, she took up painting and jewelry making in the last two decades of her life. She defined her worth by being of service – whether to aid someone in need, or throw a celebratory party - and lived her life in selfless devotion to family, church and community. A native Utican who spent 50 years in her beloved home at 184 Proctor Boulevard, she treasured her career teaching kindergarten at Roscoe Conkling School from 1956 until 1988. Married to her husband John F. (Jack) Taylor for 30 years until his death in 1987, she then dedicated her time to Our Lady of Lourdes where she served as a Eucharistic Minister for twenty years. She is survived by her children: Susan M. Taylor and her partner Barry Wilfand of Portland, Maine, Kimberly A. (Kimaya) Taylor of Washington, District of Columbia, John F. Taylor, Jr. and his wife Karen Friedlander Taylor of Superior, Colorado, and Leslie K. Taylor and her wife Michelle L. Mangold of Baltimore, Maryland. Her grandchildren include Benjamin T. Kulp, Matthew (Parker) Kulp, Sarah W. Kulp and their father Michael G. Kulp; Carly A. Taylor, Jessie R. Taylor, Cooper J. Taylor; and Jack T. Mangold. She is also survived by her elder brother and his wife, Dr. Thomas J. and Lori Cianciolo of Clarence, New York; and many nieces, nephews, godchildren, relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, John F. (Jack) Taylor; brother and sister-in-law, Joseph D. and Lee C. Cianciolo, younger brother Jerome A. Cianciolo; and nephew Thomas J. Cianciolo III. The Taylor family wishes to thank all who devotedly called, visited and sent flowers, letters and photographs. They extend heartfelt appreciation to the team at Brightview Assisted Living in Catonsville, Maryland for the devoted and loving care Veronica received as a resident. The family offers especial thanks and gratitude to Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care, whose devoted team treated her with the dignity and respect she herself bestowed on family and friends in their time of need. Visitation will be held at the Eannace Funeral Home, Inc., 932 South Street, corner of Hammond Avenue, on Thursday, January 11th, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Veronica’s funeral service and Celebration of Life will be held the following day, Friday morning, January 12th, at 9:00 a.m. from the funeral home and at 10:00 a.m. at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, 2222 Genesee Street, Utica, NY. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be offered to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital; envelopes will be available at the funeral home or online at https://www.stjude.org/donate. Mass will be followed by a burial service at Calvary Cemetery. This was lovingly composed and written by her daughter Kimberly A. Taylor.

Veronica C. (Ronnie) Taylor

April 16, 1933 - January 3, 2018