Help Lay Charlotte Taylor to Rest

My name is Valerie. If you're here, you most likely know what this is about. My mother passed away unexpectedly on May 12, 2024. I thought we would be sharing a night of pad thai and champagne, celebrating Mother’s Day together with my fiance and dad. Instead my father and I clutched her cold hand that night and told her we loved her, even though she could no longer hear us.

I will get to the part about asking for aid and why, but I would like to first talk about my mother.

Charlotte Marie Koening was born on May 28, 1955 to Joseph and Mae Koening (later Milana) in Pitman, New Jersey. She was the second daughter, born after her older sister Joanne Naphy. Later, her brother Joseph (Joey) was born. The youngest was Robert (my Uncle Bobby).

My mom told many stories about her youth, about growing up in a small home run by a loving mother, about her childhood friends and school and life in the 60s and 70s. As a lover of music, she told stories about all the concerts she had seen. The Beatles; Queen; The Eagles; Fleetwood Mac; Crosby, Stills & Nash; Genesis; Phil Collins; Yes, and so many more. There were so many nights where she sung and sung while cleaning up after dinner.

She was a dancer and gymnast, an artist, and a traveler, and she instilled within me all those things as well. Charlotte loved skiing and kayaking when she was younger, and she would spend many hours taking walks, visiting the beach, and sitting out in the sun, listening to the birds. She loved pansies and butterflies.

Charlotte was also a giver, and she loved to make others smile. For nearly 30 years, she worked as a Respiratory Therapist (mostly at Kessler Memorial Hospital in Hammonton, NJ), making many wonderful friends along the way. Later, she worked as a Certified Home Health Aide, before retiring early to care for her mother and mother-in-law, Dolores G. Taylor. My mother was always ready to help those who needed it, and it is because of her support and love that I was able to do many things. She also had a knack for gifting little things that she knew would make you immediately smile, like a piece of candy or a stuffed animal.

My dad, Lee Taylor, met my mom in a bar in the 80s. They were together for several years, on and off, before they decided to tie the knot. My parents' first child, Joey (named after my uncle who passed from this world too soon), was stillborn. I came soon after in 1990, and my mom always called me her miracle child. As a trio, we spent much time together, skiing, kayaking, and traveling to Mexico. All the things my mom loved.

This year—2024—would have marked over 35 years of marriage and many memories shared. Like any couple, Lee and Charlotte had plans. They wanted to travel. Go to concerts. Work on their home. Now I can’t get the sight of my father laying his head against her cheek and uttering, “We were supposed to grow old together,” out of my mind.

He is truly heartbroken. I am too. My father lost his mom, Dolores “Dee” Taylor, last year in January 2023, shortly after my mother had been diagnosed with heart failure. He had not yet recovered from losing my grandmother, and now here we are, making arrangements to lay my mother to rest.

To cover the cost of the cremation and urn and addressing her final wishes, I am asking for assistance. In addition to that, I am also asking for a small gift to my father so he does not have to worry for the next few months about the bills and taxes and medical expenses. If I can take some things off his plate, then that would truly make me happy.

Whatever donation you can give, no matter how small, it will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for taking the time to read about my mother, Charlotte M. Taylor, and for your love, warmth, prayers, and support. You have our thanks.

(For those who are curious, I will be posting details about a celebration of Charlotte's life on social media. It will most likely be held on her birthday, May 28 or a few days after.)