Mostly Cloudy, 28° F
(Oct. 3, 1921 - May 10, 2012)
Mary Louise Taggart Greever, 90, of Cody, died peacefully at West Park Hospital on Thursday, May 10, 2012.
The daughter of Lloyd and Louise Welch Taggart, she was born Oct. 3, 1921 in Cowley, the fourth of nine children. Her parents had been living in Utah when they answered a call from the LDS church to help settle the northern Big Horn Basin. William F. Cody and his partners relinquished water rights to lands in the area, which aided the Mormon immigration to the land south of the Shoshone River near Cowley. The Taggart family lived there in a two-room house; one room for the older children and the other for the parents and babies.
The family later moved to Cody where Lloyd Taggart was in partnership with his brothers in Taggart Construction Company. In Cody, when her older siblings went to school, Mary Louise begged to go with them, even though she was only 4 years old. Her love of learning and reading persisted throughout her life. She enrolled in Stephens College in Columbia, Mo., at 16 and also attended Brigham Young University.
Mary Louise married Bill Greever in February 1942 in Virginia while Bill was on active duty in the Army Air Corps. They had known each other most of their lives. They returned to Cody after WWII and Bill established a surveying firm. Together, they had five children.
Mary Louise worked at the Cody hospital for many years as a nurse’s aide and later served on the West Park Hospital board. She enjoyed her many years as a volunteer docent at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. She was a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was active in Democratic Party politics in Park County and Wyoming. She enjoyed quilting, crocheting, playing cards, and reading. Her compassion and accepting nature made her a second mother to many. Her family and friends treasured her straightforward manner of expression and her sense of humor. She always put service to others before herself.
Mary Louise is survived by her children: Paul (Linda), John (Gaye), Maggie (Steve), Gavin and Gretchen; three sisters, Harriet Byrtus of Murray, Utah, Becky Watkins of Glendora, Calif., and Raye Kief of Salt Lake City; a brother, Scott Taggart of Prescott, Ariz.; 11 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren, many loving nieces, nephews and friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband Bill; brothers Mac, Lloyd, and Charlie; and sister Ruth Blair.
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 15 at the LDS Chapel on Wyoming Avenue in Cody. Burial will follow at Riverside Cemetery. The family welcomes friends to the visitation starting at 9 a.m. prior to services. An online guestbook is available at www.ballardfh.com.
