Ashley Rebecca Taylor

1986 - 2009

Beloved daughter of Michael and Cari Taylor and cherished sister and best friend of older brother Jesse Taylor, Ashley Rebecca Taylor went to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Monday, June 22 at the age of 23.

Ashley was a radiant presence who touched the lives of everyone she met. A beautiful, passionate and immensely giving young artist, Ashley was born on June 3, 1986 in Los Angeles, but spent her early years in Eugene, Oregon, where her family moved in 1991. Her creative gifts were already evident at seven, when she played the young Cosette in a college production of Les Miserables and began four years of singing with the Oregon Childrens Choir.

Studying gymnastics from the age of four, she attended her first ballet class at eight and fell in love with dance--and never looked back. She continued to perform musical theater, but now became an ardent student of dance, studying at the Eugene School of Ballet and performing professionally in The Nutcracker Suite at the age of eight.

After attending Eugene Christian School, Ashley moved with her family back to Los Angeles in November 1997. She continued her dance training at the Cuizon Studio in Thousand Oaks while attending Hillcrest Christian School. At sixteen she began performing liturgical dance at Malibu Vineyard, combining her love of dance with her passion for Jesus. An avid artist, she also excelled in her teen-aged years as a fine artist, painter and sculptor, and became an active member of Calvary Community Church.

After graduating from Westlake High School in 2004, Ashley moved to the Bay Area to continue her ballet training at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance. She began dancing professionally, performing with various contemporary ballet companies throughout San Francisco.

Her brother Jesse had started a rock band in Los Angeles, and after singing backup with him, Ashley returned to Los Angeles in 2007 and began a second career as a singer-songwriter, writing songs and eventually performing on tour in Europe earlier this year.

Ashley is remembered as a dazzlingly charismatic young woman and loyal friend who cared deeply for people and was not afraid to travel with them through lifes most difficult challenges. Fearless and fierce in her love for others (and for her dog Gabriel, aka Mr. Goob), Ashley was a beacon of light and encouragement, and her absence leaves a deep hole in the lives of all who knew her. The memorial service for Ashley Taylor will be held this Tuesday, June 30, at 12:00 noon at Bel Air Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles. Flowers in her memory should be brought to Pierce Brothers in Valley Oaks-Griffin by Tuesday morning at 9:00 a.m.