OBIT: Mrs. Thelma Lankford Taylor
Mrs. Thelma Lankford Taylor,
Mrs. Thelma Lankford Taylor of Manchester and a longtime homemaker of the Difficult Community, died at 1:45p.m. Monday afternoon November 25, 2019 at the age of 94 at the Bridlewood Farm of her daughter and son-in-law in rural Coffee County.
Her pastor, Eld. Witt Cook, officiated at the 1 p.m. Wednesday afternoon November 27th funeral services. Following the services from the Carthage Chapel of Sanderson Funeral Home burial was between her first husband and her son in Section five at the Defeated Creek Memorial Gardens.
Mrs. Taylor was born Thelma Geraldine Shoulders in the Four-Way Inn Community on January 3, 1925 and was the youngest and last surviving child of one son and seven daughters of the late James Alexander Shoulders who died January 17, 1950 at the age of 68 and Altie Mathews Shoulders who died January 9, 1942 at the age of 42.
The seven siblings preceding her in death were an infant sister, Margaret Shoulders who died at the age of 2 on August 7, 1923, her only brother, William Kirk Shoulders who died at the age of 66 on February 3, 1976, Evelyn (Evie) Dillehay who died at the age of 70 on April 29, 1984, Bertha Wilmore who died at the age of 65 on May 29, 1973, Lorene West who died at the age of 58 on September 2, 1970, Mary Nesbitt who died at the age of 66 on April 26, 1983, and Estelle Petty who died at the age 87 on June 21, 1992.
Her first husband and the father of their children, Sterling Johnson Lankford, preceded her in death on May 29, 1994 at the age of 78. They were also preceded in death by a son Jimmy Lowe Lankford who died on May 25, 1987 at the age of 31.
After the death of Mr. Sterling she was united in marriage on December 7, 1997 to Monoville Community native Ernest Reginal Hackett. He preceded her in death on December 1, 2003 at the age of 90.
On December 4, 2005 she was wed to Beasleys Bend Community native James Howard “Captain” Taylor who died as the result of an automobile accident at his Beasleys Bend Community farm on August 24, 2013 at the age of 94.
At the age of 19 she was saved and in 1944 was baptized into the full fellowship of the Defeated Creek Missionary Baptist Church in the Difficult Community where she remained a member until her death.
Surviving are her two daughters, Jeanette Lankford Moss and husband Tommy of the Riddleton Community, Shirley Lankford Hackett and husband Dr. Jerry Hackett of Manchester; five grandchildren, Kimberly Howard and husband Jeff, Lori Rogers and husband Don, Melanie Hackett Jenkins, David Hackett and wife Heather all of Manchester, Leslie Fitzpatrick and husband Scotty of the Riddleton Community; five great-grandchildren, Hannah Jenkins, Raven Rogers, John Mark Jenkins III, Sterling Hackett and Isabella Hackett.
The family has requested memorials to the Defeated Creek Missionary Baptist Church.
SANDERSON of CARTHAGE
