Monday, June 15, 2020, Hazel Lail Taylor, a resident of Harrisburg NC and member of Grace Crossing Baptist church, surrounded by family and loved ones earned her wings and joined her husband Thomas William Taylor in heaven.
Hazel was born on August 4th, 1940, the eldest child of Lucius Scott Lail and Grace Plemmons Lail of Nebo NC. Hazel did well in school and graduated in the top of her class from Marion High School. She was also one of the first recipients of the NC Teaching Fellows scholarship. She earned her bachelor's of science degree in education from Appalachian State university in 1962 and 3 years later acquired a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education. She taught in Thomasville NC before moving to Charlotte NC and becoming a teacher in the Charlotte Mecklenburg School System. After Tom's return from Vietnam, they were married on August 3rd 1968 and settled on Abbeydale Dr. in the Windsor Park area of Charlotte. After giving birth to Scott and Dayna, Hazel became a stay at home mom. Hazel taught Sunday school at Shamrock Dr. Baptist Church and volunteered with many organizations but her favorites were the PTA and the Harrisburg Library. She was a PTA president at all 4 schools her children attended, Villa Heights Elementary, Windsor Park Elementary, Eastway Junior High and Garinger High School. She worked as a substitute teacher for several elementary schools over her later years, and even served an interim teacher twice for several months at Merry Oaks for principal Jo Ella Ferrell. One of her favorite jobs was teaching reading, which she did part time with the Head Start Program at Merry Oaks for many years. She and Tom traveled all over the United States together hoping to visit all 50 states. They accomplished visiting them all but for Hawaii. After beating breast cancer in 2000 and moving to Harrisburg NC, Hazel embraced her new position as Grannie. Her 5 grandchildren Alexandra Grace Taylor, Colin Neal Holmes, Matthew William Taylor, Joshua Raymond Taylor and Samantha Anne Taylor were and always will be her greatest joy and lasting legacy.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband and her brother Ronnie Lewis Lail. She is survived by her sister Donna Lail Stevens of Nebo NC, her children W. Scott Taylor of Atlanta GA, wife Barbara Lynn Taylor; Dayna Taylor Holmes, husband Dustin Neal Holmes of The Colony TX; her grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews, grand nieces, grand nephews and a new precious great grand niece.
The family plans a memorial service later in the summer close to her birthday at Grace Crossing Baptist Church In Charlotte.
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