Angela L. Taylor, 92
On April 4, 2025, Angela took her last barefoot walk among the lilacs with the Holy Mother Mary holding her left hand and Jesus her right. The angels carried her home the morning of April 5, 2025. Angela Lorraine was born Oct. 25, 1932, in Futon, South Dakota, to Lincoln Howard and Evangeline Louise Smith. She was one of 16 children born into the Roman Catholic Smith family during the midst of the Great Depression. Her parents were second-generation German and Canadian French. Angela grew up in Alexandria, South Dakota, and despite the hard times her family encountered during the Depression, there was always an abundance of love, family and faith. Throughout Evangeline’s lifetime, Angela remained a devoted daughter, who treasured her mother recalling the hardship encountered over the years and Evangeline’s unwavering strength.
Angela excelled in school and graduated as co-salutatorian with her good friend Carol Seacat from Alexandria High School in 1950. She was known by many over the years as “Dolly” because of her smile and big blue eyes. She cherished her high school years and retold many stories of her time cheerleading the Alexandria Beavers on to wins, of autumn bonfires, playing the French horn in the band and falling head over heels for the new boy in town, Richard "Dick" L. Taylor. Dick, at age 15, moved to Yankton, South Dakota. He attended Alexandria High School, where he was recognized as an outstanding athlete in football, playing offensive lineman, and in the spring, baseball pitcher. Angela said he was the new handsome boy in town with real jeans (no overalls!) and pony boots that had a little chain at the heel. Dick’s sisters Ann and Louise told him they had chosen his girlfriend for him — Angela “Dolly” Smith. Dick was smitten, leaving candy in Dolly’s desk to garner her attention. At that time, little did either of them know that theirs was a lifelong love that would last an eternity, and to many good friends/family they will always be “Dick and Dolly."
Angela enjoyed reciting her favorite poems, "Little Boy Blue" and "Annabel Lee." She was an accomplished dancer who loved to dance the Charleston and various Jitterbugs. She recalled dancing all night long at a summer soiree before graduation in which she dressed in a hat and gloves and sipped lemonade shandies under a full moon.
In April 1950, her sweetheart, Richard, enlisted proudly in the United States Marine Corps and was deployed to fight in the Korean War after graduation. Angela, taking his lead and that of her brothers, Dick, Bob, Lydell and Milton, packed up her determination and grit enlisting in the autumn of 1950 in the United States Marine Corps at an all-women’s boot camp based in San Francisco. She was a mighty but tiny soldier weighing all of about 95 pounds and standing 5’2”. Angela gave her all to the Marine Corps from 1950 until May of 1951. She was given an honorable discharge for medical reasons, which later in life, was diagnosed as acute celiac disease.
Richard returned home to South Dakota in late 1952, where Angela had anxiously awaited his return. Angela had been living and working in Camden, New Jersey, as a legal assistant to an attorney, who recognized her intelligence, work ethic and wit, and who offered to send and pay for her to attend Rutgers University. Angela made the tough decision that she could no longer bear separation from her one true love and left for South Dakota, which was something she said she never regretted.
Richard and Angela were married March 25, 1953. Together they welcomed five children over the years. Gregory Richard Taylor, was born on March 23, 1954, in San Diego, where the young Taylor family was stationed serving the U.S.M.C. Debra Ann Taylor was born the following summer on July 7, 1955, in Yankton South Dakota, where the family had returned to after Richard’s honorable discharge from the Marines. The Bureau of Reclamation transferred the family to Denver, Colorado, where baby Jennifer Lynne Taylor was born on March 25, 1962. It was here that Richard received the offer from the bureau to either go to Illinois or Hungry Horse. Soon thereafter, Nancy Michelle and Kim Angela were born in Kalispell in 1963 and 1965, respectively. Despite Angela’s initial reaction of, “Where in the world was Hungry Horse, Montana?!” move they did and the Flathead Valley became their own last best place for the next 62-plus years.
The early years living in Hungry Horse in the Bureau Camp were idyllic with wonderful families from the Hungry Horse Dam and Forest Service building a bustling, caring and vibrant community. There were many a good time had at bureau picnics at Lyon Lake, backdoor barbecues, St. Richard’s annual family picnic and daily visits from Clarence the milkman with fresh cream and free Popsicles in hand for all the camp kids. Angela continued with her love of dancing on date nights with Richard at the Club Rocco, Old River Bridge Inn, Blue Moon and of course the living room!
Richard became superintendent of Hungry Horse Dam in May 1971 after his boss and friend, Emmett Myhre, retired. During this time, Angela was a devoted wife and mother to her children and many of her dear friends’ children. Angela instilled a deep sense of God and the Holy Catholic Church into her children and was diligent in her faith, prayers and actions. Richard converted to Catholicism during his marriage to Angela and this continued to strengthen their bond of marriage over their many years together.
They moved to Columbia Falls in 1972, where they remained in their home in paradise on golden pond and the Flathead River until their respective deaths in 2024 and 2025. During that time, Angela was an avid bridge player with many of the town ladies hosting and attending bridge parties filled with much happy banter and laughter. She was a grand seamstress, sewing many of the girls’ dresses and outfits over the years. She also so enjoyed playing bingo with her dear friend Elaine Lant and dressing up for all Halloween parties, in which she’d create and sew her own costumes.
Angela was witty, bright, loving, and at times mischievous. She was a flag-waving, proud patriot of the U.S.A. and spoke her mind on the topic of America and politics. She loved to sit barefoot on the front lawn with Richard. She with a glass of cabernet and he with a cold beer in hand and dog Petey, enjoying the sound of summer sprinklers, birds singing and gazing at Columbia or watching the flow of the Flathead. She also loved spring’s first robin, autumn with the changing of the leaves, bonfires, music by Jo Stafford, Halloween pumpkins, little children, animals, and the annual Harvest and Hunter’s Moon. Richard and Angela always expressed gratitude to God for being “so lucky” to be able to enjoy their paradise on Earth.
Angela is survived by her family Sgt. Dick Smith, Ginger Smith Wenande, Thomas McNevin, Jennifer Taylor, Kim Taylor Wiatrak and Adam Wiatrak; 16 grandchildren (Christopher, Tricia, Beau, Chance, Alex, Rob, Dan, Laura, Russell, Summer, Dane, Luke, Skyanna, Brittney, Ian and Willam) and great-grandchildren (Brody, Victoria, Jaxon, Laken and Mia). She is survived by Richard’s sisters Kay Sinkler and Dana Brunswick. She is also survived by the “boys and girls” who treated her like a queen and loved her like their own mom over the years — Dale Jorgenson, Steve Compton, Danny Hartrey, Jef Lant, David Loff, Mary Smith and Richard and Josie Schuster.
She was preceded in death by her eternal love, Richard L. Taylor and three children, Greg, Debbie and Nancy Taylor.
The family wishes to sincerely thank Dr. Eric Brandeberry and Logan Health for the genuine, personal and dignified care of Angela and Richard, especially in the latter years. We also thank the caring doctors and nurses of Logan Health Kalispell and Brendan House, especially Jess, Taylor, Brian, Kait, Kyle and others who gave us the courage and strength to face Angela’s transition from her home here to her eternal home in Heaven. We also thank Columbia Mortuary for their care of our family and loved ones. A rosary is planned at St. Richard Catholic Church at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 10, 2025, followed by an 11 a.m. funeral Mass at St. Richard Catholic Church and military interment at St. Richard Catholic Cemetery July 11, 2025.