Leona Taylor

Leona “Nina” Taylor, age 80, of Harrison Township, MI passed away on January 28th, 2026. Born in Yankton, SD in 1945, she was the youngest of 7 children and embodied that “kid sister” spark her whole life, quick witted, observant, and quietly determined.

In the 1960s, she made the brave move from South Dakota to Michigan, choosing a life of service and purpose. She began her career teaching at Anchor Bay Schools,  where she taught business classes. She empowered generations of students to find confidence and independence. Her commitment to helping people better themselves continued through her work with JTPA of Macomb County where she helped the unemployed gain new skills.

She also reinvented herself with remarkable grit, learning an entirely new craft from the ground up as a journeyman compositor at the Macomb Daily where she crafted ads with precision and skill. She was never afraid to start over, and she never stopped learning.

Outside of work she found joy in the simple, steady comforts of life & home: Scrabble games, cooking, and baking. She was famous for her Christmas cookies, often baking over 100 dozen per season. She also loved creating the Razzberry for the Mt. Clemens Goodfellows for several years. Later in life, she cared for many of the small creatures that showed up at her door: squirrels, birds, and stray cats. She loved her routines and her favorite game show “The Price is Right,” which matched her sense of fun.

She was a devoted mother to Christina Taylor (Relyea) and Matthew Taylor. She is also lovingly remembered by her grandchildren Christopher Taylor and Liam Taylor and by her daughter-in-law Staci Seyferth-Taylor and son-in-law Douglas Relyea. She is survived by her brother Allan Karolevitz and sister Shirley Hroza and many other South Dakota relatives.

Above all else, Nina will be remembered for the life she built through hard work, resilience, and love. Love that showed up in her loyalty, her care for others and the way she made ordinary moments feel special. Her pot roast felt like a warm hug.

A memorial service will be held for Leona at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations in her honor to the following:

MI Humane Society:

https://give.michiganhumane.org/page/53914/donate/1?ea.tracking.id=GA&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21865402001&gbraid=0AAAAADg5CpKsI2CAUFVIL0PVfbyh6WvfH&gclid=Cj0KCQiAp-zLBhDkARIsABcYc6sh_N7nA1j9QQJECPblj-G7zEVHLITjz0Cg1oqxBH2tvXhTEqP5tFYaAp51EALw_wcB

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