They came in overalls and work boots still carrying their rulers and T-squares. They came in suits and ties, flannel shirts or colorful dresses and kerchiefs. They came clean shaven or with long beards, short hair or with flowing braids. Many came with food and sweets and some brought guitars. But everyone came with a song in their heart to celebrate the life of Trudy Taylor in true up-Island style at the Chilmark Community Center on Wednesday afternoon.
The matriarch of the Taylor family, who had been coming to the Vineyard since the 1940s and moved here for good in 1970, died at the age of 92 on Oct. 10.
The ceremony was an homage to art, family, community, and living life to its fullest without any regrets. It was a concert, a poetry reading and a film screening. This is a family that was taught by their matriarch to be comfortable everywhere, but perhaps mostly so in front of a microphone.
Trudy’s daughter Kate Taylor was the emcee and welcomed everyone to “The temple of Trudy Taylor.”
Violinist Atzik Marquez set the mood by opening with a “musical prayer” that traveled from Simple Gifts to Amazing Grace and later to Bach, who he said was a favorite of Trudy’s.
“She had a gifted ear and an eye that missed nothing,” Atzik said, invoking a theme that would continue throughout the night.
Trudy, it was said by all, was courageous and curious, loved art and nature and sharing these passions with others. She took everyone seriously, wasn’t afraid to speak her mind even if it hurt, and was always there to help others — even offering to cut Nick Peck’s toe off to help him escape the Viet Nam draft, he said.
Others spoke of how she was a surrogate mother to so many, and her family far exceeded those by blood.
Susan Sellers told a story of first meeting Trudy. Ms. Sellers has just moved into her house and was about to get in her hot tub when the phone rang. It was Trudy, who lived close by, but whom she had not met yet.
“Hi, this is Trudy Taylor, welcome to the neighborhood. I’m watching you through my binoculars and I’m coming over to get in your hot tub too.”
After that impromptu meeting, the two became good friends, even teaming up to rid their properties of rats. “I trapped them and Trudy shot them,” Ms. Sellers said.
The subject of religion was brought up, and it was suggested by Kate that Trudy’s life was her religion. Barbara Dacey read from two Buddhist texts and Kate commented on her mother’s passing glance at an afterlife.
“Will you send me a sign,” Kate once asked her mother.
“Yes,” Trudy said.
“Well, what will it be?”
“Oh, I’m not going to tell you that,” Trudy answered.
John Maloney shared his poem Bodies of Water, Jemima James led a song with Kate and her daughter Liz Witham, and great-granddaughter Claudia Taylor read a poem she wrote for Trudy. Tricia Bennett, who every Sunday for 25 years ate breakfast with Trudy as part of the “Breakfast Mafia,” talked about their friendship and how even with a 40-year difference in ages, they “felt like grade school friends.”
Grandson Isaac Taylor said he owed his relationships with music and art and nature to Trudy.
“She showed me so much and was such a good friend,” he said.
Isaac also perfectly mimicked his grandmother’s voice and cadence through a montage of answering machine messages left for him.
“Isaac, it’s your grandmother calling. I need you to come over immediately. I’ve trapped two raccoons and four skunks and I need you to shoot them.”
“Isaac, it’s your grandmother calling. I’m at a fabulous restaurant off-Island. You’ve probably never heard of it, living on that Island. Why do you live there anyway? It has such aromatic coffee and the most amazing apple pies. It’s called McDonalds.”
Isaac then played two songs, one his own compositions and another an adaptation of a lullaby by Billy Joel called Good Night My Angel.
Sally Taylor told that crowd that it was Isaac who sang Trudy out as she was dying.
The evening closed with Livingston Taylor singing two songs, one of his own compositions and then ending with Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Kate, Isaac, Liz and Sally joined him onstage as the standing-room-only crowd sang along.
But it seems fair to let Trudy have the last word. Her granddaughter Liz Witham had created a movie for the evening that included several interviews with her grandmother.
“Life is so short,” Trudy said in the film. “It is miraculous, it really is so brief when you get to be so old. You can’t believe it’s gone so fast. All of it is so fascinating. There is so much to learn.
“The emphasis in my life is looking at things.”
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