Valle Taylor Obituary (1956 - 2023)

Valle Hoag Taylor Williamston, MI Valle "Val" Hoag Taylor passed away on Thursday, October 5, 2023, at the age of 67. Valle was born on September 3, 1956, to Rutgar and Beverly (Larsen) Hoag in Jackson, Michigan. Her childhood passions included ballet, tap dancing, modern dance, horseback riding, and musical theater. She loved playing guitar and singing and was a violinist with the Lansing Junior Symphony. Most of all, Valle was fast on her feet -- very fast. At that time, there was no girls' track team, so Valle was the first of two Michigan girls to successfully compete on a boys' track team at Williamston High School in the early 1970s. In 1976, at the age of 20, Valle married her college sweetheart and love of her life, Mark Taylor. Together, they created a powerful marriage of 47 years, raising horses, angora goats, bees, and two children. She also taught dance to young adults. In 1989, Valle earned her master's degree from Michigan State University in Criminal Justice. Armed with that degree and her ambition to help reform the criminal justice system from the inside out, Valle pursued a professional career working for the Michigan Department of Corrections as a Corrections Officer, FOIA Officer, Training Officer, and Probation Officer. She was also a part of a Michigan emergency response team. She retired 2001. A week after her 40th birthday, Valle was diagnosed with a progressive form of multiple sclerosis. Her commitment to remain engaged in life included activism for causes like stem cell research and Democratic politics. She loved good books, word games, watching tennis, solving mysteries, and family Christmases. Val maintained a faith in the goodness of God despite physical challenges, and took refuge in Jesus Christ throughout her journey on earth. At the end of her life, she communicated to her family that she was safe in the arms of Jesus. Val inspired all who knew her through her bravery and compassion -- a worldview she described as The Church of the Grateful Heart. Valle is survived by her husband of 47 years, Mark Taylor; daughter, Jesseca (Nathan) Johnson; son, Benjamin (Michelle Sullivan) Taylor; grandchildren, Davis, Luke and Sullivan Johnson; parents, Rutgar John Hoag and Beverly Larsen Hoag; brother, Jeffrey (Lauren) Larsen; niece Clare Larsen; special family friends Rita Christiansen, Tracy and Tom Crawford, the Hammond Family; and many extended family and friends, including those invaluable professional caregivers who provided essential services as her "fingers" and also created deep and loving bonds of friendship with Valle. A private memorial will be held in December of 2023. To share memories and condolences, please visit www.SkinnerFuneralHomes.com