Jerry Taylor, the only child of Thomas James and Lola Belle Taylor, left us Thursday,  Dec. 8, surrounded by his loving and caring family. Martha Taylor, also 74, one of four  children of Thomas James and Lilly Lavon Devereux, knowing already the love of her  life had gone ahead to hold the door, passed Dec. 16, also surrounded by her loving  and caring family.

Visitation for Martha and Jerry Taylor is slated for 4:00 - 7:00 P.M. Tuesday, Dec. 27, at  the Wheelan-Pressly Funeral Home and Crematory, 3030 7th Ave, Rock Island, with a  Rosary recited at 3:30.

Mass of Christian Burial is set for 10:00 A.M. Wednesday, Dec. 28 at  Christ The King  Catholic Church, 3205 60th Street, Moline.

Committal is set for the Rock Island National Cemetery, Arsenal Island, where military  honors will be presented by the Davenport American Legion Post 26.

The Taylor family has established a scholarship fund to honor the legacy of their father,  mother, sister, grandpa, grandma and friend. Scholarships will be awarded through the  Quad Cities Community Foundation, with a preference for students majoring in journalism, theatre  arts, or special education, or attending an accredited trade school.

In lieu of flowers,  memorial gifts are welcome to "Quad Cities Community Foundation" with "Jerry and  Martha Taylor Memorial Scholarship" in the note of the check. Mail gifts to the Quad Cities  Community Foundation, 852 Middle Road, Suite 100, Bettendorf, IA 52722, or gift online  at  www.qccommunityfoundation.org

An understatement would be to say Jerry and Martha Taylor were fiercely independent.  They were, on all fronts, amazing as individuals, yet far greater as a team.

He was the keeper of all that is sacred to the First Amendment and a community's right  to know and have a voice. A decorated defender of our nation and compassionate  community visionary, he was a forever-humble leader of thousands through a  distinguished five-decade career in journalism. He, of the highest character, remained –  to the end –  above reproach.

She was a gifted ballerina by trade, who used a lifelong love and passion for the arts  and theater to better the lives of thousands who shared a like-minded dream. She was a  beacon of hope, a light that forever shined brightly on all that is wonderful about giving  back. For every moment she traveled this earth, countless, from all walks, witnessed the  good that rested in her heart. Especially those she called her own.

Fiercely independent were Gerald J. "Jerry'' and Elizabeth ``Martha'' Taylor, yet together  they were always at their best. They were dedicated to their faith and passionately  committed to a family they cherished and friends and a community they welcomed as  their own.

"I knew Jerry and Martha for over 40 years,'' said Sue Williams, a longtime and  dedicated supporter of the arts and close friend to the Taylors. "Being involved in Quad  City Music Guild, I was able to see the dedication and the many hours they volunteered to community theater. Martha and I shared many laughs, tears and musical adventures  through our church, Junior Performing Arts and Music Guild. She shared her love of  dance and music by teaching in her own home. As a friend, I experienced some of their  last hours together and witnessed their eternal love and devotion to each other.''

Both born in 1948, Jerry Taylor, the California-born future journalist, was taken with the  beautiful and self-assured ballerina from the University of Utah. The two were married at  age 19, in October of 1967. Recently, the two celebrated their 55th wedding  anniversary.

Jerry Taylor was drafted into Vietnam, serving from 1969-1971, and received nine  military medals/commendations/badges, including the Army Commendation Medal,  Combat Infantry Badge, and the Bronze Star.

He began an amazing-five decade career in journalism as a newspaper reporter for the

Salt Lake City (SLC) Tribune. After a short time as a reporter for the Associated Press in  Chicago, he returned to the SLC Tribune before taking the job in 1975 as the city editor  of the Moline Dispatch. That year, Jerry and Martha and the Taylor children found a  home in East Moline and remained dedicated to the Quad Cities until their passing.  Though they moved to Illinois, Martha remained a "Utah girl". She loved the mountains  and dearly missed her family.

Jerry's hard work and dedication led him to become managing editor, general manager  and editor and publisher of The Dispatch/The Rock Island Argus/QCOnline. Much more  than a man with a title, Jerry saw to it the way news was gathered – in an honest and  straightforward manner – never changed, but helped usher to the front many of the  modern ways news is presented locally.

Roger Ruthhart, the longtime managing editor of the Rock Island Argus, shared  numerous highlights of Jerry's distinguished career during his speech honoring Taylor  receiving the Illinois Press Association's Lifetime Achievement Award in the fall of 2022.

In addition to guiding the merger of two important local papers, Jerry led the two  publications into the world of online news covering. QCOnline.com – the online  publication of The Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus – was among the first in the  nation to make stories widely available by posting them to an online bulletin board. Jerry  was also the guiding force behind a hugely successful partnership with a local TV  station, WQAD. The newspaper staff reported stories on air from the Rock Island  newsroom, while TV reporters contributed stories to print. Today, such conversion  reporting is commonplace nationally.

Jerry Taylor retired in 2017 after five decades of dedicated service to the newspaper  industry. Along his amazing path, he served as a board member or member of many  Quad Cities-area community groups including DARI, Renew Moline, Moline Rotary, and  the Ill. (now Quad Cities) Chamber of Commerce. Jerry also served on the board of IPA  from 1997 to 2005, and as its President in 2004. He was on the Government Relations  Committee from 1998 to 2016.

"I always will be proud to say that I worked under Jerry's leadership at the

Dispatch-Argus,'' said Joe Payne, who after a distinguished career as a reporter, served  for many years as the features editor for The Dispatch and the Rock Island Argus.

Today, Payne is the Senior Content Marketing Manager for IMEG.

"He knew better than anyone how to run a news organization— a family-owned one at  that —and how to deal with the many challenges and personalities that came with the  job,'' added Payne. "He was also so devoted to Martha, and she to him. They both were  very dedicated, welcoming, and gracious people who impacted our community in many  ways."

Kenda Burrows found her way to the Quad Cities in the late 1980s as a reporter for The

Dispatch. When she stepped into her role as Senior Reporter for The Quad Cities  Business Journal, she had just completed a two-plus decade stint as the editorial page  editor for first The Dispatch and later The Dispatch and the Rock Island Argus.

"The untimely deaths of Jerry and Martha Taylor are a loss not only to the family of  journalists like me who were fortunate to know them, but to an Illinois Quad Cities that  continues to benefit from the efforts of these tireless community leaders,'' Burrows said.

"In addition to teaching generations of young people what good community  newspapering is all about, Jerry also spent a lifetime promoting and protecting a free  press, the First Amendment and the public's right to know. I was privileged to know him  and call him a friend, and to learn from the amazing example of family and  community-service he and Martha set.''

In 1979, Jerry Taylor took a flier on a young and gifted wordsmith, hiring him as a  sportswriter for the Moline Dispatch. In 1987, when The Moline Dispatch and The Rock  Island Argus merged, Taylor called on Jim Meenan to be the sports editor for the two  publications. It was a title Meenan held for 17 years before accepting other journalistic  challenges about the Midwest.

"He is the person I most respected in the Quad Cities,'' Meenan said of Taylor. "It's a  huge loss for this area.''

Despite the challenges of mothering six, Martha Taylor, ever the gifted dancer and  gracious teacher, taught ballet at Black Hawk College and in her home. She also  founded the Junior Performing Arts Troupe in 1984 and continued until she retired in  2009. The Junior Performing Arts Troupe performed in many nursing homes, at  community events, represented Quad City Music Guild, and performed at a variety of  annual recitals.

A stay-at-home mom during the day, Martha taught dance and musical theater at night.

She also directed or choreographed musicals, variety shows, and Follies at both St.

Mary's (East Moline), Alleman High School (Rock Island), and Quad City Music Guild.  Her dedication in the area of musical theater, gave hundreds of Quad City children  increased self-esteem, self confidence, and an outlet to positively express themselves.

The Taylors, it must be noted, were pillars in the Quad City community, having helped  build many organizations such as Quad City Music Guild (QCMG). Whether serving as  President, managing the concession stand, cleaning areas of the theater, grilling hot  dogs, narrating bus rides, parking cars, or choreographing countless shows, the Taylors  always stepped to the front.

"Martha and I created Jr. Performing Arts Troupe in the summer of 1984 and began  classes that fall,'' Quad Citian Gail Smith said of Martha Taylor's commitment to the  Performing Arts Troupe. "Our classes were small and our audiences were at the mall  and local retirement shows, singing Christmas songs and dancing to Martha's always  fun choreography. Martha was such an excellent teacher always making the kids feel  loved and accepted. What a joy it was to see her bring a shy child out of their shell and  learn to love to perform. Martha made sure that our kids were always available for  community events (never any charge) including singing for events at the Arsenal and  local "fests," so our students got a healthy dose of giving back to the community.  I was  privileged to work with Martha for 26 years and our classes were always a joy to share.''

Smith said Martha Taylor was not only a whiz at guiding her own crew of a half-dozen,  she was an amazing guidepost for those she taught. "When it came to showtime,  Martha worked tirelessly, planning and rehearsing and always teaching as we  rehearsed,'' Smith said. "The students loved her and became part of our family together.  She welcomed kids with disabilities, and we adjusted our classes to give each child a  chance to enjoy singing and dancing. She was generous with her time, helping kids  practice for auditions to shows around town. She blessed so many young people  through the years including me. She truly loved and served her students and always  had their trust. I am so glad I was able to work with her in what was my dream job. She  was always in tune with how the kids were feeling when they came into class. More  than once we just sat and listened while a student shared a bad day, or how they lost a  beloved pet.  And more than once, we prayed with the class and encouraged them to be  kind and supportive of each other.''

Dedicated to countless noble and worthy causes, the Taylors saved their best work for  those dearest to them. They raised six wonderful children, fiercely loyal to each other  and instilled with the understanding that great faith, care and respect of others must  always be character benchmarks. Martha and Jerry's pride and joy were their  grandchildren and great grandchildren. They attended every concert, sporting event,  award ceremony, birthday, etc. Even as health challenges arose for both of them, they  did everything they could to watch their grandchildren and great grandchildren succeed.  Seeing or hearing from one of them always brought a smile to their faces. They were  forever proud.

The Taylors are survived by their six children, Thomas (Fran) Taylor, Phil (Kim) Taylor,  Ann (Christopher) Taylor Ball, Kathy (Chad) Ruggeberg, David Taylor, and Joseph

(Karla) Taylor; 17 grandchildren: Patrick (Breana) Taylor, Allison (Brett) Mangan, William

Taylor, Lily Taylor, Ryan Taylor, Rayven Taylor, Zach Taylor, Daniel Taylor, Josie Taylor,

Tommy Taylor, Amelia Taylor, Lexie Taylor, Steven Ball, Peyton Ball, Madilyn Ball, Taylor  Ball, Christopher Ball; three great grandchildren (Eli, Isaiah, and Jack) and one on the  way. They are also survived by Martha's siblings, MaryAnn Devereux Barber, Bill  Devereux, and Tom Devereux; numerous nieces and nephews; and countless friends.

Fiercely independent, Jerry and Martha Taylor left an amazing impression on our world  working solo. The two, however, saved their best when working together.

The service may be viewed via live-stream by visiting: https://vimeo.com/event/2723213. If unable to watch live, the recorded version can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/qclivestreaming/Gerald-and-Martha-Taylor.

A recording of the service and burial will be available on the Wheelan-Pressly website, www.wheelanpressly.com