Nell Taylor passed away peacefully at home in her sleep on September 8, 2021.

Born March 3, 1933, in Tallahatchie County, Miss., Nellie Loretta Savage was the only child of Louise Sullivan and William Savage. After their divorce, two-year-old Nell’s mother remarried and she would be raised by her mother and stepfather, Eugene Bowers.

She loved reading, singing, listening to music, and animals. Months after graduating from West Tallahatchie High School, she would marry Charles G. Taylor on October 19, 1952. They met in grade school, and she waited patiently for him to return from active service in Korea. They moved to Memphis, Tenn., to start their lives together. Their neighbor was guitarist Scottie Moore who was instrumental in Elvis’ early career. She had many stories of watching them rehearse and being at some of his earlier concerts. A few years later she started a family. Just like she had planned, first she had a son and a few years later a daughter. Nell always wished she had an older brother.

Nell and her family would move to a few other states, but in the mid-1980s, she and Charles moved to Statesville, N.C. They would later be joined by their son from Texas. Numerous cats would show up at her door and once invited in, they adopted her. She would become a grandmother and loved when her grandson wanted to spend all summer with his Granny and Poppy. She had a great influence on him by encouraging reading, music, and being around animals. Nell also adopted a kitten from from her stepfather’s farm. Bullet, who lived to his late teens, was spoiled like all of her other four-legged kids but had a special place in her heart.

Blessed with wonderful neighbors and an adopted hometown, she never had a desire to move away. She loved any animal that wanted to come up, grab a snack or some water, and show off on the deck. She swore a yellow cat would bring kittens to her door and tell them to adopt the people in there.

Nell was preceded in death by her mother, father, stepfather, and step-grandson J.J. Harrelson.

Other than her husband of nearly 69 years, Charles, left to cherish memories of her are her son, Charles Taylor Jr. of Statesville; daughter, Debra Harrelson (Mike) of Columbus, Ga.; grandson, Jake Harrelson of Columbus, Ga.; step-granddaughter, Kasey Harrelson Lyttle (Dean) and her children of Sun City, Ariz.; and her aunt, Jean Sullivan Farquhar of Cartersville, Ga.

Fond memories and condolences may be left at wwwnicholsonfunerals.com.

Nicholson Funeral Home is serving the Taylor family.