Phyllice Taylor retired eight years ago after working nearly four decades at the Navy supply depot near Mechanicsburg.
But she didn’t slow down.
Instead, she spent her time volunteering for Meals on Wheels to deliver food to senior citizens, and at children’s programs at Ben Franklin Elementary to teach boys and girls proper etiquette and for events at the American Legion.
She also served the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program, regularly donated her highly sought-after blood (14 gallons of Type O negative in all) and exercised through the Silver Sneakers program and weekly Soul Line Dance classes.
She took bus tours with friends and traveled to a second home in North Carolina with her boyfriend of 25 years.
Her calendar was so full, in fact, that her daughter Robyn Taylor had a hard time finding a free day to take her mom to brunch to celebrate her mom’s 65th birthday last month. They had recently agreed on the date of Monday, Feb. 18, and both were looking forward to it.
But they won’t be able to share that meal as planned. Instead, friends and relatives will share cherished memories of Taylor at her funeral.
A vehicle hit and killed Taylor Feb. 8 as she tried to cross four lanes of Seventh Street at Dauphin Street in Harrisburg. The vehicle was southbound but police have not determined which direction Taylor was walking. Her body was found near the center of the road.
Police are still investigating the circumstances of the 7:13 p.m. crash that occurred after dark but along a stretch of road dotted with small streetlights. The speed limit is 25 mph, which is a level that creates an average risk of death to pedestrians at about ten-percent, according to national crash studies.
But when a vehicle’s speed increases, a pedestrian’s probability of death steeply increases.
Police this week asked for any possible witnesses to come forward to help them piece together what happened. Surveillance video from a nearby business showed additional drivers in the area near the time of the fatal crash, police said, and investigators would like to speak to those drivers.
It was the second fatal pedestrian crash in Dauphin County last week. Earlier in the week, a driver killed a 63-year-old grandmother who was crossing Union Deposit Road in Lower Paxton with her grandson.
While it’s still unclear what caused the crash that killed Taylor, her daughter said she hoped both recent tragedies would force people to rethink how they drive.
“People just need to take a second and not be in such a hurry,” she said. “There’s a lot of people who just need to slow down and pay attention.”
The stakes are too high not to, Robyn Taylor said. The only-child has lost her mother too soon. Her aunts and uncle lost their sibling.
And Phyllice (pronounced FaLeece) lost all of her future plans. She had a fully booked calendar and a lot of life left to live. Her life partner, Melvin Harris, recently retired and obtained his passport, planning for their adventures together.
Phyllice was born at the Carlisle Army Hospital, grew up in the city of Harrisburg and graduated from the former William Penn High School. She started working at the Naval supply depot in 1974 and retired 37 years later. She came from a family of military veterans and federal civilian government workers. She received regular promotions over the course of her career and worked most recently as an inventory management specialist.
Phyllice Taylor’s home in Susquehanna Township served as the “hub” for the family. She regularly hosted events and dinners, including every Thanksgiving meal, where she cooked dishes from scratch.
“Always from scratch,” daughter Robyn said. “She never used anything instant and she rarely used the microwave.”
Besides being a fantastic cook, Taylor grew her own vegetables in pots in Harrisburg and in a larger garden in North Carolina. She was a loyal Philadelphia Eagles fan, long before the team won the Super Bowl, her daughter noted. She also rooted for the North Carolina Tar Heels basketball team.
Phyllice was funny, friendly and a no-nonsense type of person. If she was preparing dinner and someone called to ask what she was making, she would often simply reply: “Food.”
She knew whatever she was whipping up was going to be delicious, her daughter said, so her attitude was: “If you want specifics, you can just come on over here and see for yourself.”
In recent years, Taylor started the habit of sending text messages each morning to her sister, brother and daughter.
It was her way of checking on her closest loved ones to make sure they were OK. She would say, “Good morning,” and each one responded in kind. They would then share their plans for the day, and it kept the family close and informed.
But Saturday morning, Karen Tomlinson noticed there was no text from her sister. Relatives tried calling and texting Taylor’s phone, but uncharacteristically, she didn’t answer.
That’s when they realized something was terribly wrong.
Taylor’s sister, Freda Howerton, started calling area hospitals. Tomlinson called police to report Taylor missing.
Then Saturday afternoon, a deputy coroner showed up with a police officer at the home Howerton shared with Taylor. The officials broke the terrible news.
Nearly one week later, relatives are still in disbelief. Now they are reviewing Phyllice Taylor’s busy calendar and preparing to call various organizers to let them know Taylor no longer will be able to volunteer.
“She loved volunteering,” Tomlinson said. “She was a giver. And she never expected anything in return.”
Instead of sending flowers to Taylor’s funeral on Monday, relatives said they would prefer donations go to the Central Pennsylvania blood bank where Taylor was a “VIP member.” Taylor felt very strongly about supporting the work of the local blood bank.