Susan Elizabeth Taylor

Susan Elizabeth Taylor, 75, of rural Monmouth, passed away at 9:20 pm, Wednesday, September 19, 2018 at Heartland Health Care Center in Galesburg.

The youngest daughter of Glenn and Esther (Seldon) Smith, Susie was born April 12, 1943 in Monmouth. She was raised in rural Kirkwood on her family’s farm, educated in Kirkwood, and graduated from the first graduating class of Yorkwood High School in 1961. She attended Bradley University in Peoria. Susie assisted in the family farm operation with her first husband, Bruce Wolf. She also worked as a Certified Nurse Assistant for 20 years at the Monmouth Hospital Coronary Care Unit. Susie married Len Hawkes on June 29, 1997 in Kirkwood. She attended the First United Methodist Church in Kirkwood and most recently in Monmouth. While living in South Carolina, Susie attended the Bluffton Baptist Church. She was a member of PEO for 53 years.

Susie was an avid quilter, enjoyed yard work, and spent countless hours tending her beautiful flower beds. She especially loved sweet peas and roses. She was an avid bowler. She could often be found baking desserts for her family to enjoy in her kitchen. Susie loved bird watching, feeding her hummingbirds, and her heart held a special soft place for animals. Susie enjoyed traveling when she could, cherishing the years of fishing trips to Lake of the Woods, Minnesota with family and friends as well as trips to Aruba, South Carolina, and Colorado. Susie had a fun-loving sense of humor, and treasure hunting at auctions was a favorite pastime. She was one of a kind to those who knew and loved her.

Susie is survived by her husband Len Hawkes of rural Monmouth; daughter Becky (Dian) Crabill of Springfield; son John (Amy) Wolf of Biggsville; sister Mary Ann Work of Peoria; sister-in-law Ruth Smith of Kirkwood; grandchildren Kristin Wolf of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Sam Wolf of Laramie, Wyoming, and Sadie Crabill of Springfield; nieces Margaret Work of Sun Valley, Idaho and Roberta (Jim) Parker of Cary, North Carolina; nephews David (Melissa) Smith and Andrew (Courtney) Smith of Kirkwood; step-children Paul (Paula) Hawkes and Shannon Wellman (Shaun Epling), five step-grandchildren Carter & Caroline Hawkes, Gabe & Gage Wellman, and Silja (Lucas) Crutchfield, and three step-great grandchildren Creston, Emilee & Noah Crutchfield all of Bluffton, South Carolina; step-children David (Margaret) Taylor and their children McCaleb and Sara Kathryn of Fort Worth, Texas, and Karen (Jim) Singleton of Prairie Village, Kansas; and numerous other relatives.

She was preceded in death by her parents; brother, Steve Smith; brother-in-law Robbie Work, and her husband Dr. Wilson Taylor.

A gathering of family and friends will be Tuesday, September 25, 2018 from 5:00-7:00 pm at McGuire and Davies Funeral Home and Crematory in Monmouth. Cremation has been accorded. A private family interment in Monmouth Cemetery will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers  memorials may be given to the First United Methodist Church of Monmouth or the Heartland Health Care Center, Galesburg.