Susan Grandin Taylor

1935 - 2024

Susan Grandin Taylor
05/12/1935 - 08/14/2024
Susan Taylor, a 65-year resident of Ross, had the great privilege of being well-educated, well-traveled, and well-loved by her husband of 69 years, Dr. Robert Clark Taylor; and children, Nancy and Clark. Susan was raised in Monrovia and San Marino, California, the youngest child of Henry Bishop and Olga Simpson Grandin. She graduated from the Westridge School in Pasadena, then attended Stanford University, where she pursued studies in music and Italian history, both lifelong passions. She met and fell in love with Bob, also a Stanford student, in her senior year at Westridge, and they married in 1955, interrupting her Stanford studies "temporarily" (She returned in her 40s to complete her degree in Italian History). They were blessed with a lifetime of romance, enjoying one another's company on adventures all over the world. Susan's other interests were broad and deep; in particular, she excelled in the culinary and interior design arts. She taught cooking for several years out of her beautiful home-based professional kitchen, earning a reputation for her sublime cuisine and sophisticated epicurean dinner parties. Susan was intentional in her philanthropic endeavors, often taking on leadership roles in multiple community and national organizations. She also found time to play competitive club tennis with daughter, Nancy, as her doubles partner for 17 years. Susan adored the ocean and spent magical childhood summers jumping off her father's boat for a swim off the Balboa and Catalina Islands. She also crewed for her father on one of his Transpacific Yacht races to Hawaii as a teen. In her adulthood, she was a passionate opera lover, traveling to music meccas such as Milan, St. Petersburg, Rome and New York to attend notable performances. Susan's myriad other interests included bicycle touring, snow and waterskiing, Italian and French language studies, global travel planning, gardening, and bridge with friends. Susan enjoyed memberships in the Francisca Club, Marin Garden Club, Lagunitas Country Club, and Junior League of San Francisco. She adored the many family pets over the years on whom she showered affection. In addition to her husband, children and treasured friends, Susan is survived by her grandchildren, Marissa and Richard Taylor, and many cherished nieces and nephews in the Grandin and Hutchinson families. A private celebration of Susan's life will be held per her wishes by immediate family at the dispersal of her ashes at sea. The Taylor family expresses immeasurable gratitude to Susan's Hospice By the Bay team, who provided her with exceptional care at home, and assistance to the family. Susan is dearly missed; "Owl and Pussycat" eternally devoted, indeed.