Diedre Taylor

Passed away Thursday morning with the comfort of her son, August 25, 2016 at her home. Dee was born March 12, 1946 in Kalamazoo the daughter of Maxworth and Norene (Wood) Mathews. She moved to Hawaii and was raised in the South Pacific before moving back to Kalamazoo and attended Nazareth College where she graduated with high honors in 1963. Dee then began working for Michigan Bell Telephone Company as a telephone operator. She stayed with the company for 31 years leading to her becoming a member of the Telephone Pioneers and later retiring with the company. Dee loved singing, art, traveling, motorcycles, history, writing, and drawing. Dee was preceded in death by her parents; three husbands, David Schardt, Kenneth Barnes Jr., and Otis "Dano" Taylor; her sisters, Joyce Wood, and Carlotta "Lottie" Miller. Surviving is her son, Frank Schardt; 3 grandchildren, Emma, Gavin, and Brandon Newman; and several nieces and nephews. Services will be held at 11:00am Thursday, September 1 at the Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Westside Chapel, 3926 South 9th Street with a reception to follow. Friends may meet the family Wednesday evening from 6-8pm at the Westside Chapel. Private interment will be held at a later date in Riverside Cemetery. Memorials may be directed to the charity of your choice. To view Dee's personalized guestbook please visit www.langelands.com.