Reverend Dr. Dusty Taylor passed away on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, peacefully at home in Aurora, Colorado.  She was 91 years old and in good spirits right until the end, remaining beautiful both inside and out. Her daughter Kathy Dusser and son Greg Taylor were with her when she passed. She is also survived by three grandchildren, Elizabeth Dusser, Kayla Taylor and Erik Taylor, and a great granddaughter Madison Dusser.

Dusty was born in Ansonville, North Carolina, on July 19, 1932, the fourth child and first girl in the family.  She loved playing with her older brothers and was a mischievous, self-confessed Tom Boy, climbing trees and earning the nickname Dusty for her blonde, dusty hair.  Her half-sister Martha was a welcome addition when Dusty was 10 years old.

Dusty attended the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, where she excelled in sports, made Dean's List and earned her B.S. in Physical Education in 1954.  Following graduation, she taught Physical Education at Agnes Scott College in Atlanta, Georgia.  She featured as an extra in the film, "A Man Called Peter," about Scottish-American Peter Marshall, a Presbyterian minister and chaplain to the US Senate, who met his wife at Agnes Scott.  Ironically, Dusty would later become the second woman to be ordained as a Presbyterian minister in the State of Colorado and meet her husband, Tem, while at Agnes Scott during his studies at Georgia Tech.  Tem and Dusty married in a lovely outdoor ceremony on the campus of Agnes Scott on June 14, 1958.

Tem's railroad career took them back and forth across the country in a series of moves among the births of Kathy in 1959, Matt in 1961 and Greg in 1963.  Dusty's energy, sense of humour, love of people and positive outlook allowed her to make contributions to these communities from Georgia to Oregon.  The family finally settled in Colorado in 1972, choosing a home in Bow Mar, Littleton, where the family enjoyed many happy years.

In the midst of raising three children, Dusty decided to return to school in 1974 and enrolled in Iliff School of Theology.  Studying at her kitchen table, Dusty always gave credit to her husband Tem and family for their support and encouragement.  Dusty was ordained in June 1976 after receiving her Master of Divinity degree from Iliff School of Theology.  She served as Assistant and Associate Pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Littleton.  She earned a Doctor of Ministry Degree from Iliff in 1980 and joined the staff of Montview Presbyterian Church as an Interim Pastor in August of that year.  She was called as third co-pastor and first woman head of staff in August 1981.  Her obvious love of people, deep faith in God, sparkling personality and skills as a pastor ingratiated her to Montview.

Her abundant energy was clear in the numerous study trips she organized to the Holy Land and Europe.  She enjoyed watching the Oberammergau, the Passion Play in Bavaria and conducting a Presbyterian heritage tour of Scotland and Engand.  In 1991, she took a sabbatical during which she studied Islam and wove paraments for the church chancel.  The hills surrounding Red Rocks Auditorium rang with her southern accent when she delivered the Easter sunrise service.  A highlight of her career was serving as Moderator of The Denver Presbytery in 1997.  A memorable trip to Nepal with a group from Montview included a helicopter trip to a mountaintop to spread a friend's ashes at the ripe age of 68.

She retired from Montview in 2002 after more than 20 years of service and she and Tem moved to Venice, Florida.  Not one to sit at home, she quickly became involved and accepted a role as Visiting Pastor at Venice Presbyterian Church.  She held this position for 4 years until finally retiring for good in 2008.  Dusty and Tem faced tragedy together with the loss of their son Matt later that year, just two weeks after celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary with a family reunion in the Colorado mountains.  Their faith carried them through this painful experience.

Tem and Dusty enjoyed seven years living in Venice with walks on the beach and sunsets over the Gulf.  As time went on, the desire to be closer to family brought them back to Colorado and they moved near Kathy in 2010.  Dusty's beloved husband of 52 years, Tem, passed away later that year.  After building an addition on to Kathy's house, Dusty moved in with Kathy and enjoyed 13 more happy years in a household with Kathy's companion Brian, a host of cats, dogs, birds and visits from of Greg, the grandchildren and great grandchild Madison.  Greg considers himself extremely blessed to have had, in Kathy, a sister with the skills and disposition to care for Dusty as her health deteriorated.  In her final days, Dusty's bright blue eyes sparkling as she enjoyed watching The Sound of Music and Handel's Messiah holding the hands of her loved ones.  We decorated her room for Christmas, installing a tree and other decorations, and she passed after a prayer with Rev. Ian Cummins for her safe delivery to heaven.

Memorial service will be held Saturday, October 21, 2023, 2:00pm at Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church on 1980 Dahlia Street, Denver, Colorado 80220-1239. Reception to follow. Service will be livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/@MontviewChurch/streams

Dusty's family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to Montview Presbyterian Church in honour of Dusty where they will be allocated among the endowment and the church's missions including the Women's Homeless Initiative, the Social Justice Ministry and More Light Presbyterian (LGBTQIA+ in the ministry).