Catherine Pearson Taylor
1931 ~ 2021
Catherine Sarah Pearson Taylor died on May 24, 2021 after a brief non-COVID illness. She was born on December 24, 1931 in New York City to Helen Daphne Smart and Cyril Drew Pearson. She grew up on Long Island and graduated from Great Neck High School in 1949 as a member of the National Honor Society. She then attended the University of Utah, where she was a member of the Chi Omega Sisterhood. After graduating in 1953, she taught primary school in Lexington, Massachusetts for two years, followed by a year of postgraduate studies at UCLA’s Graduate School of Social Work.
In 1956, Catherine married John Arthur Taylor in the Salt Lake Temple. They lived in Cincinnati, Ohio for 33 years, raising three sons, teaching kindergarten, serving as president of the PTA, and teaching at the Taft Art Museum. In 1989, she and her husband moved to Provo after he retired from The Procter & Gamble Company. Catherine was a member of the Provo Literary League and the Fine Arts Club in Salt Lake City and was a lecturer at the BYU Museum of Art.
Catherine was a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She has served as the primary president, young women president, counselor in the stake community presidency, and teacher in all aid agencies. She and her husband served in the presidency of the Provo Missionary Training Center, a full-time missionary in Temple Square, and a stewardship in the Provo Temple.
Catherine’s three sons, John Jr. (Natalie), Thomas (Carolyn), and David (Anissa), served full-time missions, married in the temple, and earned postgraduate degrees. In addition to her sons, she leaves eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Catherine was preceded in the death by her sister, Patricia Wright (Orson). Catherine had a taste for beauty that was reflected in everything she touched.
As stated in her will, her memorial will be a funerary service in Provo Cemetery on Friday, May 28, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. To offer condolences, visit www.NelsonMortuary.com
Published by Deseret News May 25-28, 2021.
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