Lynn Taylor of West Seattle passed away on Thursday, June 21 following a battle with an aggressive autoimmune disease, systemic sclerosis. She is survived by her loving husband of 40 years, Douglas Hurley; her daughter Katherine Hayes Taylor-Hurley; her son Evan Douglas Taylor Hurley and his wife Kellie, and her grandson Ryan Douglas Hurley; all of West Seattle; and sister Sandi Ward and husband Mort of Santa Barbara, CA. Lynn was predeceased by her brother William Taylor of Mukilteo, as well as both parents.
Enthusiasm personified, Lynn approached life with joy and determination. The oldest of three, Lynn was born to parents Philip and Beatrice (MacRobbie) Taylor in Newport News, VA and grew up in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Among Lynn’s favorite childhood memories were ballet concerts staged with sister Sandi in their family living room, and summer babysitting for cousins on Cape Cod in her teen years.
Lynn earned a BA from Brown University in Providence, RI in 1967, and later went on to complete a Masters degree from Yale University in New Haven, CT. Lynn moved to Seattle in 1975. She and Doug met at Metro, where she worked and he was consulting.
Married in November 1978, Lynn and Doug started their family in the Madrona neighborhood of Seattle before moving to Mercer Island in 1989. Lynn served as Director of Public Relations and later of Harbor Development at the Port of Seattle from 1980 to 1990. At the Port, her most significant accomplishment was resolving long standing conflicts between the Port and the communities of Magnolia and Queen Anne, setting the path for the future development of Piers 90 & 91 in Interbay.
Lynn left the Port in 1990 to start her own consulting firm. With a focus on strategic consulting in a range of public policy areas, Taylor|Consulting helped create multiple campaigns focused on transportation demand including One Less Car, Use it Wisely, Car Smart/Car Safe, and an award-winning trip-reduction effort for Metro called In Motion. Apart from work, Lynn served on the Seattle City Club board including two terms as president, sang with choral group Seattle Pro Musica, and fostered a love/hate relationship with the game of golf.
But more than anything, Lynn loved spending time with family and friends in their home at Black Butte Ranch in Central Oregon—playing golf, reading, bird watching, and most of all using her firebug skills to build roaring evening fires. After retirement, Lynn and Doug traveled extensively, beginning with a year-long trip by RV, circling the USA. They loved months-long stays in Europe, as well as trips to China and Southeast Asia, and most recently a cruise around the southern tip of South America.
Lynn was particularly delighted by penguin sightings across the globe from the Galapagos and the Falklands, to the tip of South Africa. At home, many hours were spent volunteering at FareStart, where she prepared and delivered food for shelters, and helped develop a curriculum FareStart uses to assist students in gaining employment. More recently, Lynn found great joy in being Nana to grandson Ryan and sharing her delight in being a grandmother with anyone who would listen.
A celebration of Lynn’s life will be held at 2pm on Sunday, September 9th at Pacific Tower in Seattle (1200 12th Ave South, Seattle, 98144). In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations in Lynn’s memory to FareStart.org.
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