Evelyn Huggins Taylor

Evelyn Huggins Taylor (75) of Newport News, Virginia, peacefully passed to the next life in her home surrounded by her husband and two children after a valiant battle with cancer on Tuesday, October 14, 2025. She was dearly loved and will be deeply missed.

Evelyn was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, on April 24, 1950, to Marion Huggins and Joyce Huggins, both of whom preceded her in death. She grew up and remained in eastern North Carolina, until 1990 when she moved to Giles County, Virginia, and eventually returned to the east coast where she lived for the rest of her life.

Evelyn is survived by her husband of 48 years, Bernard “Bernie” Taylor, and beloved family: son, Brooks Lee Taylor (Tara) and grandchildren Chesleigh, Cillian, Annwyn, and Afton; daughter, Angela Taylor Miller (Matthew), and grandchildren, Isaac, Abigail and Elijah; sister, Cindy Killebrew (Al); brother, Steve Huggins (Frances); sister-in-law, Deborah Huggins (Mike).

She is also preceded in death by her brother, Michael Huggins (Deborah) and brother-in-law, Al Killebrew (Cindy), along with her grandparents and several aunts, uncles, and cousins who were very dear to her and who she looked forward to seeing again in Heaven.

As a young woman, Evelyn enjoyed a successful career with a brokerage firm working in the stock market, followed by a quick ascent to Regional Customer Service Representative with Carolina Telephone Company, where she eventually met and married Bernie. Once they started having children, she left the corporate world behind to pursue her true passion of full-time mother and homemaker. When her children were older, she spent years working in the public school system and particularly enjoyed her time in Special Education.

She always said the best years of her life were spent in the mountains of southwest Virginia, raising her children on her “Itty Bitty Farm” with their chickens, pigs, cats, dogs, pygmy goat, and rouge run-away horse who loved to antagonize the cows in the pasture next door. There, she formed friendships who became and remained family. Her door was always open and her home the gathering place for her children’s friends and neighbors who were frequently treated with special food. She had a talent for remembering who loved which foods and ensuring they always got it at her house.

Evelyn had a warrior’s spirit and loved with an immeasurable ferocity. She spent her life caring and advocating for others. She stood strong in her convictions, unwavering faith in God, and love for Jesus and her family. She lived for her children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. Throughout her battle with cancer, she never asked, “Why me?” but rather offered her suffering to Jesus for the sake of those she loved. Her last words were of how much she loved us. All who knew her felt her love, loyalty, kindness, and generosity.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in memorial of her to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a charity very close to Evelyn’s heart.

Celebration of Life will be held at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Newport News, Virginia, on Saturday, October 18, 2025, at 1:00 pm.

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