Carol Anne Taylor

Carol Ann Taylor, born December 22, 1948, passed away on March 1, 2026. She was the daughter of Albert J. Taylor and Mary E. Doyle Taylor, and the eldest of six children. She is survived by her mother, now 98, and four of her younger siblings—Kathy, Alan, Jeff, and Marjorie—along with her niece Danielle Taylor and nephews Ryan Taylor and Alexander Taylor.

Known affectionately as “Redhead” by her grandfather and “Rusty” by her college friends, Carol’s vibrant red hair, green eyes, and December birthday inspired her to call herself a real-life Christmas Carol. From an early age she showed remarkable discipline and curiosity, earning nearly every Girl Scout badge and meticulously preserving her letters, photographs, and accomplishments. She played the accordion as a child, graduated from Pitman High School in 1966, and went on to earn a BA in Psychology in 1970 and an MA in Clinical Psychology in 1974 from Fairleigh Dickinson University, later receiving advanced certifications from the Kantor Family Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

A child of the 1960s, Carol backpacked through Europe in 1971 with two college friends, an adventure she treasured all her life. She loved the music of Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin, The Beatles, The Doors, and the Moody Blues, and held a deep appreciation for classic films, especially those featuring her favorite actress, Katharine Hepburn. Her strong intellect and feminist perspective led her and a colleague to conduct extensive research on ageist and sexist stereotypes in American cinema. Their work resulted in numerous presentations to the Gerontological Society and the publication of the paper “The Mirror Has Two Faces” by Cambridge University Press in 2000, followed by newspaper articles and radio interviews.

Carol maintained close ties with her immediate family and cousins throughout her life, devoting considerable time to researching their genealogy, particularly on her mother’s side. She possessed a sharp mind, quick wit, and a playful sense of humor that endeared her to everyone she met. An avid reader with a passion for literature and history, she solved New York Times crosswords in ink and later enjoyed Sudoku. After living many years in the Boston area—where she cherished the culture, food, and even the harsh winters—she worked as a family therapist in private practice, served as a clinical supervisor, and remained an active researcher. She formed lifelong friendships while at North Shore Community Mental Health Center in Salem, Massachusetts, and was the star pitcher for the therapists’ coed softball team, the “No Shows.”

In her later years Carol moved west to be closer to her family, living in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, Tucson, Arizona, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and finally returning to Tucson, where she resided in a memory care facility. Even then, her positive spirit and kind nature remained an influence on those around her. She will be deeply missed by all whose lives she touched.