Beth Taylor, CSJP (1943-2024)

Sister Beth Taylor’s quiet unexpected death in the early hours of August 9, 2024, seemed a fitting finale for a woman who accomplished much in an unobtrusive way. Sister Beth seemed to move quietly through life. But, for all that, her range of ministry and the number of lives she touched were vast and varied.

Born in Seattle, Washington, Sister Beth joined the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace in Bellingham, Washington, in 1962. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Seattle University in 1967. For the next five years, she taught math, art and science to junior high school students in various schools in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia.

In 1972 she attended the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkley, California, and earned a Master of Arts in Applied Theology. All her theological and teaching skills were put to good use during the rest of her ministerial life. Her involvement with RENEW International gave her the opportunity to share her faith and expertise across the United States and in Nigeria, Rwanda and India.

Sister Beth was a recognized, if quiet, leader and was a member of the last elected Provincial Team in Our Lady’s Province. She also served in a wider range of influence as President of the Sisters Council for the Archdiocese of Seattle. And, at PeaceHealth, her gentle presence was valued as a chaplain at St. John’s Hospital and Marianwood.

Sister Beth Taylor will be remembered best for her love of God, scripture and all aspects of nature, the inanimate as well as the animate. That love of nature, where she found God in everything, inspired her daily walks and ended in an assorted collection of ordinary items of the natural world, like leaves and rocks, that spoke to her of the God she loved.