Jane Smith Taylor

JANE SMITH TAYLOR Of Cupertino, died April 29th, of complications related to cancer. Raised in Burlingame, California, Jane attended Hoover Elementary School, Burlingame High School, and the University of California at Berkeley, receiving an AB in History in 1948. She met and married Thomas C. Taylor in 1950, while working in London. After living briefly in Madison, Wisconsin, they relocated to California, eventually settling in Burlingame together, where they raised four children. In her 40's, Jane began taking education classes at the College of Notre Dame. She received her high school teaching credential in English and Math, a masters in English from the College of Notre Dame, and her counseling credential. She began teaching at Hillsdale High School, continued at San Mateo High School, and completed her career as a College Counselor at Burlingame High School, retiring in 1991.Jane was active in the community, serving as a board member of the Burlingame Library for repeated terms, volunteering at Filoli, working in various committees of the League of Women Voters. When she moved from Burlingame to Cupertino in 2000, joining the Sunny View Retirement Community there, her life was already focused around travelling and enjoying life with her partner, Gerald Johnson. She is preceded in death by her husband, Thomas C. Taylor, and her eldest son, Thomas Christopher Taylor. She is survived by Gerald Johnson, brother Reuben W. Smith, daughters Sarah and Melinda Taylor, son Jonathan Taylor, grandson Phineas Taylor-Webb, and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. Services will be held at the Sunny View Community Center, 22445 Cupertino Road, Cupertino, on Saturday, May 5th, at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to the Santa Clara Library Bookmobile.