Marla Kaye "Belt" Taylor

Marla Kaye Taylor was born on May 20, 1957, in Houston, Texas. She was reared and guided by strong Christian parents and grandparents. At an early age, she was baptized by Pastor William H. Burks at the Pentecostal Missionary Baptist Church (PMBC).

Marla desired to follow her sisters Rhonda and Natalie to play the piano. She began taking lessons from Sis. Lucille Burks, the First Lady of the PMBC. She sharpened her skills and fell in love with music, simply because it centered around the Lord. She became one of the church musicians. Marla played for all the choirs. She groomed many of the youth and prepared them for the Sanctuary Choir (the adult choir at the time). God used her skills in a mighty way.

To ensure she was equipped for the world, Marla's parents encouraged her to seek a good education. She attended Sunnyside Elementary, Crispus Attucks Jr. High and was a 1975 graduate of James Madison Sr. High School.

She was a bright student and was able to assist younger siblings, Adrian, Gail and Eric, with their school lessons. She wanted to remain home for college, so she attended the University of Houston. There she participated in the University of Houston Good News Gospel Choir. Marla was a skilled writer, she was articulate, creative and a master with words.

Marla began her career performing clerical duties and administrative support tasks for the local accounting firm, Davis, Graves and Livingston, PC. God moved Marla where her talents would be made known. She worked in the Office of the President of Texas Southern University. Her talent and knack for design then led her to a position as the Coordinator in the Print Shop at TSU. When Marla wanted to pursue her craft in design, she left TSU and joined her friends, Pat and Varoy Davis at their printing company Visual Connection. Her creativity blossomed as she developed her skill as a Graphic Designer Artist. She was known statewide for her customized funeral programs. Although they did not expect immediate death, she also had clients who requested her services prior to their death. They were excited to see what she could prepare for them!

Marla shared her talents with the family. She was the Editor-in-Chief, designer and publisher of the family newspaper, "Generations". The family members were contributing writers. She also designed an annual Belt Family wall calendar with a different theme each year. It included photos, dates, and events important to each family member. She eventually published a book of poetry and distributed it among her relatives. The family routinely performed plays and other productions in which she not only participated but contributed to the scripts. Marla designed numerous programs for many different people. There were various company logos, family reunion t-shirts and church cookbooks. If you could think of it, she did. Designing was in Marla's blood, and she glorified in all her endeavors.

In 2011, Marla's life took a drastic detour when she suffered a brain aneurysm followed by a stroke. She lost mobility and her speech. After several years she recovered with much of her mental and physical loss restored. She never shied away from sharing her testimony about this challenge in her life. She was quite a fighter and her faith was strong.

Growing up at Pentecostal Missionary Baptist Church was a blessing for Marla Kaye. She fell in love with her church member Donald Ray Taylor. They met as youth growing up in the church participating in various activities. Their love formed a union of 44 years of matrimony. God blessed them with two daughters, Stephanie Dawn and Maya Dionne. Their family expanded to include Mark Barnaba and her grandchildren Caden, Kyndelle, Kynnedi and Connor Barnaba and their bonus grandchildren, Mark III, Joshua and Omarion Barnaba. Marla loved her family and she enjoyed family gatherings. She and Donald were known to host Family Night Fridays.

As life would be written: Her grandparents Taylor C and Mary Lee Ross Pickett, her mother, Jean Marie Pickett Belt, father-in-law Bobbie Dean Taylor and mother-in-law, Gladys Verlinda Taylor preceded her in death.

Left to remember her journey are her immediate family: Her husband, Donald Ray Taylor, daughters Stephanie Taylor (Mark Barnaba), Maya Taylor(Lauriell Kennie) and seven grandchildren; Deacon Eustace Belt Jr. (aka Daddy Belt), her siblings and their spouses, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, cousins, church family and friends.