Stephanie Taylor Ayers - a force to be reckoned with
by Joanie Hoover

Obituary/ Tribute

(Plain Press, June 2008) Stephanie Taylor-Ayers, 46, friend and mentor to many, leaves behind her a legacy of service, advocacy for children, a strong spiritually, and a love for the arts. She died Sunday, May 4 after struggling several years with various health issues. Her seemingly short life covered a wealth and depth of experience. Many who knew her would say she was an unforgettable character, not just for her many activities and interests, but for the unique way in which she lived her life. She was known for her outspokenness and energy around issues from homelessness to affordable housing, from local politics to global awareness, from issues that touched her own life such as health care and her advocacy for world peace. One friend remembers her by saying "Stephanie taught me the difference between being a volunteer and becoming an activist." She always used to say that when it came to social service she worked to give those in need a "hand up, not a hand-out.

Stephanie is known to many through her varied places of work, among which are Rainbow Youth Shelter, Carnegie Care. Harbor Light and the Zelma George Shelter. She was a tireless advocate for children in her administrative duties as childcare supervisor of the West Side family YMCA, as a Youth Coordinator at Near West Theatre, where she wore many hats, and in her work the Positive Education Program.

She brought her own special outlook on life to every cause in which she became involved. She had an opinion on every issue. When race and heritage were in the forefront, Stephanie was willing to identify herself not only as an "African American,” but put her own spin on the topic by saying "I'm French- Jamaican" or “would-be Irish.” She was engaging, charming many with home-grown expressions such as "God don't like ugly" or quoting her family favorites such as "I'll beat you from ‘Amazing Grace’ to ‘how sweet the sound’". She knew how to use tongue-in-cheek humor as well as the bawdy, outrageous relishing of life. Her favorite TV shows she described as "trash at its finest" claiming she hated anything "too wholesome".

And on the other hand she was a softie for children, especially the ones most troubled or, in her words  "magical". She was a deeply spiritual person, active in the Community of St. Malachi and St. Patrick's Church. Although she did not often complain of her many physical and health issues in the latter part of her life, she could also joke that "God needs a Rolex" when it came to the "timing" of circumstances in her life.

Weeks before her passing Stephanie was honored by Near West Theatre for her gifts and service over the past 20 years of her life. She is preceded in death by her mother, Glory Helen Taylor, her husband, Anthony Ayers and an infant daughter, Amanda. She leaves behind her father, Povented Taylor, her sister Angela Taylor and many brothers and sisters, her daughters Alyia, Trinidad and Meg. She will be remembered as family by many loving friends in the communities she helped build everywhere she went.

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