Zelda Taye

Zelda Lorraine Melander Taye, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother passed away peacefully in North Salt Lake, Utah on November 24, 2011, at the age of 95. Zelda was the wife of Dr. Arnold Taye, who passed away in 2004. Mom was born on October 3, 1916 in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Carl Merino Melander and Emma Mathilda Newgard. She grew up in Minneapolis, and had many wonderful stories to tell of tobogganing and ice skating with her sister Dorothy, while growing up. At Roosevelt High School, she especially enjoyed business courses, and in 1935 her fellow students (as well as faculty members) voted her as outstanding senior student in the Commercial business department. One of her business teachers stated: “Zelda is not only efficient in her business work, she has additional traits of high standard of life and fineness of character; these traits make me feel that she is truly deserving of this honor that has come to her.” After high school, Mom went to work for an insurance company, where she was able to use her strong business and secretarial skills. Mom met the love of her life, Arnold Taye, while roller skating in 1939. They were married in 1940, in a marriage that lasted 64 years. While they were living in northern Minnesota after World War II, missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints taught Mom and Dad the gospel, and they were baptized in 1949. They were later sealed in the Idaho Falls Temple. Mom commented often on how grateful she was that they had joined the LDS church. Later they traveled to different states while Arnold completed medical training. Mom later became the manager of the medical transcription services department at the LDS Hospital, in Salt Lake City, Utah. She always said that she loved doing dictation, and found it to be challenging and fascinating work. As her children grew up and went to college, she decided “I don’t want to be the only one in the family without a college degree.” So when Mom was in her 50’s, she enrolled at the University of Utah. She graduated in 1973 at the age of 56, with a Bachelor’s Degree in English. Amazingly, she had managed to juggle a home with four children, a husband, work part-time, go to school, maintain church activities, and still cook wonderful meals. Zelda and Arnold continued to pursue their love of roller skating through the years that they were married, and used to take roller skating lessons weekly. They competed two times in Bakersfield, California within the Esquire (senior) Division, winning the third place trophy each time. Zelda and Arnold served a mission at the Mormon Battalion Visitors Center in San Diego, California in 1976-77.This was a very rewarding experience for them both. Later, Zelda and her husband enjoyed working in the Salt Lake LDS Temple for several years as ordinance workers. She always said that she felt such love for people, and thoroughly enjoyed serving in this capacity. Zelda loved cooking and sewing for her family. Favorite TV shows were ‘Perry Mason’, ‘The Lawrence Welk Show’, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Mom especially loved to read books, and she often said “Reading is my favorite thing to do.” Until a week before her death, she would read two newspapers every morning, and she enjoyed reading before going to sleep at night. She helped to instill this love of learning and knowledge within all of her children, setting such a wonderful example. Those of you who knew her also knew that she was a very gentle and kind lady. As her family, we all feel so fortunate for her to have been our Mother, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, and friend. Also preceding Zelda in death were daughter Terry Taye, brother George Melander, sister Dorothy Melander Stanwood, and brother in law Albert Stanwood. Zelda is survived by her son John (Suzanne) Taye, of Boise, Idaho, son Alan Taye, Salem, Utah, daughter Carol (William) Feeheley, of Au Gres, Michigan. Nine grandchildren include: Catherine (Ken) Slattery of KY, Adam Taye (Heather Eisen) of NY, Aaron (Amy) Taye of MD, Emily (Mark) Nolte of TX, Lorraine (Michael) Davies of CA, Alex (Tina) Hooker of IL, Tyler (Jessica) Hooker of TX, Gloria and Andreya Littleton of IN; Zelda also had 10 great-grandchildren; cousin Milan Berndt of MN. The family would like to thank Dr. Chris Romney for his many years of care to Mom. We would also like to thank the kind and dedicated people from Always Best Care Senior Services and Rocky Mountain Care for their service to our Mom in her last few months. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, December 3 at the North Salt Lake Utah Parkway Stake Center, 55 East 350 North, North Salt Lake, Utah. There will be a visitation for friends and family from 10:15-10:45 am the same day at the stake center. Interment will be at the Bountiful Cemetery.