Marion Emma (Bagster) Taylor

Westbrook - Marion Emma Taylor 99, of the Stroudwater Lodge in Westbrook, passed away on Thursday, July 23, 2020.  She was formerly a resident of Maplewood Drive in Gorham. She was born in Portland on November 25, 1920, the third daughter of Walter B. and Ella Ryder Bagster, and was educated in Portland schools and graduated from Deering High School.  During the Great Depression the Bagster family owned and operated the Glenwood Dairy Farm on Warwick Street in Portland.  Marion and her siblings worked tirelessly daily on the farm building good character and many other life skills.  Marion’s primary responsibility on the farm was delivering milk to the customers. 

Marion married the love of her life, Albert (“Al”) C. Taylor, on October 16, 1937, and together they raised 5 children. They were married almost 65 years until Al’s death in 2002.  Marion was a wonderful home maker and her door was always open for her family and friends.  She and Al always had a large garden and canned vegetables together every year for the winter months.  Marion’s bread-n-butter pickles were her specialty and were enjoyed by everyone. All of her sisters and brother lived in the Nason’s Corner area, each living only one street apart. She often cared for several nieces while her sisters worked. Al’s government job required his transfer to Hanover, NH in 1961. The move was very difficult for Marion leaving her family and life-long friends behind, but she persevered and the family visited her often throughout the years. 

Marion ultimately returned to Maine in 1976 after Al’s retirement.  They settled in Gorham on Maplewood Drive, where two of her sisters and oldest daughter, Julie all resided.  They all interacted daily. Marion and Al had many close friends from the Nason’s Corner neighborhood whom they played cards with and went dancing with at the Elks Club in Portland. She enjoyed rug hooking, knitting, sewing and needle pointing.  She made each of her daughters and granddaughters framed needle points as family heirlooms.  Marion thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her family and friends, especially during the holidays. She also enjoyed countless cookouts and lobster feeds in her back yard, especially when her daughter, Jeannie and other out-of-state family members vacationed in the area.  Marion also loved to do crossword puzzles and play games, including bingo, bridge, cribbage, Pinnacle and Rummikub.

Marion was predeceased by her parents, husband, Al, daughters Janet Taylor (1962) and Jeannie Walker (2013), son, James Taylor (2020), and sisters Arlene Duff, Eleanor Graves and Joan Nutter and brother, Walter B. Bagster, Jr.  She is survived by her sister Blanche Wilson of The Villages, FL, daughter Julie (Dunham) Williams and husband, Stephen of Scarborough, ME and The Villages, FL, daughter Jayne Stenger and husband Thomas of Sidney, ME; son-in-law David Walker of W. Lebanon, NH, grandchildren Stephen Dunham, Michelle King, Teri Ouellette, Sandi Lute, Jeffrey Taylor, Heather Rowe, Joshua Walker, Matthew Stenger and Dawn Dunham; as well as 14 great grandchildren and 8 great, great grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, and life-long friend Bea Moschetto.

The family wishes to thank the staff at Stroudwater Lodge, along with Johanna and Jasmine of Compassus Hospice for their tender loving care of Marion.

A graveside service will be held at Brooklawn Memorial Park in Portland at 11AM Friday, July 31, 2020. 

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