Patricia Ann Taliaferro

Mrs. Patricia Ann Taliaferro, passed away on Sunday, August 2, 2020 in Shreveport, Louisiana after a brief illness. Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Friday, August 7, 2020 at Rose-Neath Funeral Home on Marshall Street. Her funeral service will be held on Saturday, August 8, 2020 beginning at 10:30 a.m. at St. Paul\'s Episcopal Church, 275 Southfield Road, in Shreveport, where she was a devout member of Daughters of the King and St. Catherine's Guild. Officiating will be The Reverend Paul D. Martin. Patricia was born September 1, 1930 in Kansas City, Missouri and is preceded in death by her father, S. Turner; mother, Frances White; step-father, Richard A. White; husband, James G. Taliaferro Jr.; grandson, Bradley Baker and great-granddaughter, Elexis Zahler. She is survived by son, Jim Taliaferro and wife, Janet; daughter, Patty Taliaferro and friend, Robert Wilson; son, Richard Taliaferro and wife, Cherry; former daughter-in-law, Claire Taliaferro; grandchildren, Michelle, Robert, Nikki, Shawnna, Sarah Kate, Christina, Jennifer, Anthony and Raymond; great-grandchildren, Melissa, Sierra, Robbie, Jevon, Taylor, Braden, Lola, Grace, Christian, Payton and Kara; and great-great-grandchildren, Wyatt, Kesson, Gabby and Rocky. Honoring Patricia as pallbearers will be Jim Taliaferro, Richard Taliaferro, Anthony Taliaferro, Raymond Taliaferro, Robert Wilson and Sarah Kate Taliaferro. Serving as honorary pallbearers will be Dr. Van Taliaferro, Dr. Clarence Teagle, Dr. Albert Kraus and Dr. Scott Howard. As a toddler, Patricia lost her father to illness at an early age and her mother Frances moved the two of them to Houston to live with her grandmother Heath. Her mother was employed with United Gas where she met Richard A. White. The two were married when Patricia was five and the business transferred them to Shreveport where they purchased a house in Broadmoor, where Patricia resided prior to her death. She attended A.C. Steere Elementary until the 7th grade and transferred to St. Vincent's Academy to complete her high school education. She attended Loyola College for one year and met James "Jim" Taliaferro, Jr., a young Air Force Airman and the two soon were married in 1951. They had three children, Jim "Bo", Patricia "Patty" and Richard. They were married for 23 years until their divorce and Jim was the love of her life, so she never remarried. For 23 years Patricia was an Air Force wife responsible for the logistics of a family on the move, for the emotional and physical challenges that go along with uprooting a family every three years, planting them in a different location, making new friends, staying in contact with the old ones, while being supportive of her husband and his career. She was proud to be a military wife and mother, supporting each of her children in their various activities, from scouting to little league baseball and football, where you could always find her in some kind of booster club or behind the snack bar. Patricia loved the arts at a very young age, studying under Ruth Natasha Thomas and at the age of eight, began dancing on roller skates which she perfected through college. Once becoming a semi-professional dancer, she and husband Jim could be seen at many of the clubs and roller rinks around Shreveport. Patricia loved people and retail sales was where she achieved the most pleasure, working at many stores within the Broadmoor neighborhood such as Dillard's, Palais Royal, Pier One and Kitchen Works, along with numerous base exchanges. Patricia also had a passion for collecting "mementos", some from generations past. She was also notorious for collecting various items which to her, had sentimental value, reminders of days gone by. She was a collector of such a wide variety of items such as vintage baby clothes, rattles, spoons from various locations, dated greeting cards for every occasion, china dolls, old product tins, thimbles, china, glassware, silverware, coffee mugs, records (33's, 45's, 78's) and although her children would tease her for holding onto what we thought was insignificant, we realized each of these things had an emotional connection, and later we would come to appreciate her persistence in the collecting process. Those same items would become hand-me-downs, envious of any flea-market flip. Patricia Ann Taliaferro was opinionated, stubborn, optimistic, and caring; but what she really was, was a great friend, an inspiration for her children on what kindness and giving looked like. The family would like to thank the doctors, nurses, and staff at Christus Highland Medical Center, LifeCare at W-K Pierremont, Heritage Manor Stratmore and Cornerstone Specialty Hospital for their care and compassion. In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorials may be made to St. Paul\'s Episcopal Church, 275 Southfield Road, Shreveport, LA 71105. You leaving Mom will be harder than we thought. We will miss you, especially the twinkle in your eyes.