Marian Elizabeth (Taylor) Forns, 89, Isle of Palms Lane, Amelia Island, FL, formerly of Key West, FL, passed away in her sleep Thursday, March 21, 2013, at the Morris Center for Caring in Jacksonville, FL.
She was the widow of the late Evelio Forns, who she married in 1945, and who passed away in 2008. Mrs. Forns was the daughter of the late Chief William A. Taylor, USN, and the late Myrtis Lowe Taylor who was a native of Green Turtle Key in the Bahamas. She grew up during the Great Depression in the isolation and bliss of the Florida Keys and graduated from Key West High School in 1940. During World War II, she was a telephone operator and later became office manager and executive secretary to the General Manager of the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority which provided fresh water from the Florida mainland to the Florida Keys. Following her retirement, she and her late husband volunteered and assisted with the Key West Little League baseball program. Mrs. Forns lived in Key West for 81 years, before relocating to Fernandina Beach in 2004, where she continued to develop many new friendships which she cherished. She was a member of the Gospel Chapel in Key West and the Bible Baptist Church in Fernandina Beach. Survivors include: her children, Judith Ann (Robert) Hutcheson, Charlotte, NC, Lawrence Evelio (Libby) Forns, Fernandina Beach, and Anthony Scott (Susan) Forns, Louisville, KY; her grandchildren, Robert, Craig, Brian, and Brett Hutcheson, Jill Saiz, Veronica Wold, Lawrence E. Forns, Jr., Peter Duke Forns, Ashley Forns, Tiffany Amburgey, and Taylor E. Forns; her great-grandchildren, Brandon, Vanessa, Donald, Jill, Megan, Gabrielle, Steven, and Victoria; two nieces, Barbara (Bruce) McGarey , Key West, and Nancy Page, Sanford, FL; and her life-long friend and high school classmate, Ms. Jessie Watkins, Key West. Funeral services will be held Tuesday, March 26, at 11 A.M. at the Bible Baptist Church, 820 South 14th Street in Fernandina Beach with the Reverend A. "Red" DelRio, Pastor and Reverend Frank A. Shiver officiating. Visitation will be from 10-11 A.M. Tuesday, with fellowship following the services at the church. Burial will be on Thursday, March 28, in the family plot in the Key West Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, 4266 Sunbeam Road, Jacksonville, FL 32257