Beatrice Taylor

Beatrice L. Taylor passed away April 20, 2014 after a 3 ½ year battle with cancer. She was born March 23, 1941 to the late Avary and Dora Payne in Urbanna, VA in the same home where she died. She is survived by her husband, Mercer Dale Taylor, daughter Paula L. Dove and her husband Peter, dearly loved granddaughters Loren and Elaina Dove, sister Catherine Via, brothers Ed Payne and his wife Barbara, Jones Payne and his wife Shirley, and Cary Payne, and several generations of nieces and nephews that were loved and cherished. She was predeceased by her first husband, Temple N. Lipscomb, Jr in 1969 and brother Melvin Payne in 1986. Beatrice’s life was dedicated to the love of family and community. When her father passed away in the summer of 1977, she and her sister, Catherine, decided to continue their father’s business, Payne’s Crab House. The Payne sisters became renowned for being one of the few waterwomen on the Chesapeake Bay and were featured in numerous publications, including Southern Living, Virginia Living and Chesapeake Bay magazines and were even included in an exhibit at the Mariner’s Museum called “Women and the Sea”. Payne’s Crab House was a popular destination during the Urbanna Oyster Festival for its crab cake and soft shell crab sandwiches. In 1998, Beatrice was elected to the Urbanna Town Council and served on the council until being elected the first woman mayor of Urbanna in 2008. She served for two years as mayor and then returned to town council in 2010 where she served until her cancer treatments prevented her from continuing. Beatrice was most proud of the accomplishments of her granddaughters and attended every important event in their lives where she would always give them a hug and “a little something extra”. A memorial service will be held at Urbanna United Methodist Church on Saturday, April 26, 2014 at 2 pm followed by a reception in the church’s Fellowship Hall. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Urbanna United Methodist Church.