POCOMOKE CITY — Emily Jean Taylor, 90, of Pocomoke City, passed away peacefully in her sleep on February 7, 2025 at Manokin Nursing and Rehabilitation in Princess Anne, Maryland after a brief illness.

Born on October 26, 1934, she was the daughter of the late John Worth and the late Myrtle Calhoun.

In 1950, at age 15, she graduated from Toccoa Falls Academy, a boarding school in Georgia, where her mother had sent her to escape the domestic chaos at her parents' home in Berlin, Maryland.  After high school graduation, she attended Goldey-Beacom College's secretarial program in Delaware.  Her stepfather, Ed Calhoun, had convinced her that secretarial skills would benefit her more than going to college to be a teacher — an opinion with which she subsequently agreed.  After a year at Goldey-Beacom College, she left to start working near her mother's and stepfather's home in Salisbury.

In 1952, a few days after her 18th birthday, she married the 22-year-old John Lee Taylor of Pocomoke.  They were married for 55 years, until his death in 2008.

In 1971, she began working as a legal secretary at the law firm of Thomas S. Simpkins in Princess Anne.  She continued to work there for the next 50 years, until she retired at age 86.  Work was her main passion, along with spending time with co-workers, friends, and family.  She had a deep love for the ocean, and some of her most memorable moments were spent on the beach with friends in Nags Head, NC.  Watching "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune" was a favorite pastime; she even tried out to be a contestant on the latter show.

She is survived by her daughter, Sharon Taylor of Annapolis; her son, Norman Taylor of Snow Hill; two grandchildren, Betsy Winslow and Heather Taylor; two great-grandchildren, Walter Winslow and Travis Williams; a nephew, Jason Calhoun; two nieces, Melissa Longo and Dawn Schauer; and a cousin, Susan Nelson.  Her son, Paul S. Taylor, and her brother, Lewis Calhoun, predeceased her.

A funeral service is scheduled for Saturday, February 15 at 11 a.m. at Hinman Funeral Home, 11673 Somerset Avenue, Princess Anne, Maryland.  Visitation will begin at 10 a.m.  Interment at Nelson Cemetery in New Church, VA will follow a reception.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial donation may be made in the name of Emily Taylor, Class of 1950: Toccoa Falls College, 107 Kincaid Drive, MSC 809, Toccoa Falls, GA 30598.  Online donations can be made at https://tfc.edu/give/