Gladys (Taylor) Houghton of North Andover, Massachusetts passed away peacefully on March 11, 2017 at the age of 102. She was preceded in death by her husband of 51 years, George F. Houghton, a retired captain in the Massachusetts State Police, and by a daughter, Judith Ann Houghton.
Gladys is survived by her daughters, Wendy Martin of North Andover, and Donna (Bob) Mielinski of The Villages, FL; three grandsons, James (Patricia) Martin of Andover, MA, David (Marya) Mielinski of Ashby, MA and Daniel (Brooke) Mielinski of Aledo, TX; 5 loving great granddaughters, Shauna, Colleen and Fiona Martin of Andover, MA and Maelie Joy and Avery Jae Mielinski of Aledo, TX; and her nephew, William Wray of Methuen and his family.
Gladys was one of five children of William and Isabelle (White) Taylor of North Andover. She was preceded in death by her sisters and brother and their spouses, Lottie (Robert) McMurray, Doris (John) Peel, Isabelle (Donald) Wray, and William (Carol) Taylor and also her aunt, Grace White, who was considered a sister.
Gladys was the oldest member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in North Andover, where she and her sisters were very active in the church, especially at Christmastime.
Gladys and her sister, Isabelle, danced professionally as the “Taylor Sisters” in the Greater Boston area. With her sisters, Doris and Isabelle, Gladys owned and operated the original Taylor Shop in Lawrence.
Gladys loved her family very much and will be greatly missed by all.
Family and friends will honor and celebrate Gladys’s life by gathering for her funeral service on Thursday, March 16, 2017 at 9 AM at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 390 Main Street in North Andover. Guests are kindly asked to meet directly at the church. Burial will follow in Ridgewood Cemetery in North Andover. At the request of the family, there will be no calling hours.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Gladys’s memory to Merrimack Valley Hospice:
Home Health Foundation, Attn: External Relations, 360 Merrimack Street, Building 9, Lawrence, MA 01843. The Kenneth H. Pollard Funeral Home, 233 Lawrence Street, Methuen is honored to serve the Houghton family.