Ella Taylor won state-fair ribbons for her paintings

One might not have known it by looking at the 4-foot-8 great-grandmother who was comfortable being the mediator in any situation, but Ella Joyce Denny Taylor had boundless imagination and talent just waiting to emerge on canvas.

Taylor, of Ryland Heights, died Wednesday at the age of 87.

She was a hard worker and raised her two daughters on a working tobacco farm, making dresses out of floral feed sacks and improvising when necessary.

As soon as her children grew up, Taylor began to paint. She painting everything in sight and drew from childhood memories.

"She would do winter scenes with a bridge and kids ice-skating, paint deer and cabins. We took her to the ocean one year and she painted people out in the ocean and one of the sun setting," said her daughter, Donna Houston of Ryland Heights.

Her daughter's favorite painting, though, was of hot-air balloons taking off from a local church. "There was one in every color," she said.

Taylor won various ribbons at the Kentucky state fair for her pastel and charcoal paintings.

She also loved to crochet, and was active in her church, teaching Sunday school when her daughters were younger.

She was active in her grandchildren's lives and enjoyed gardening with them.

Most importantly, she was always there for people to turn to when they needed help.

"She gave us all advice. She was very good at being the one in between. If there was any problems we could go to her with anything," Houston said.

Survivors include a sister, Sue Francis Malott of Cincinnati; brothers, Allen Denny of Oneida, Tenn., and Paul Denny II of Covington; three grandchildren, nine step-grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, three step-great-grandchildren, four great-great-grandchildren and a step-great-great-grandchild.

Services will be at 1 p.m. Monday at Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Home, Independence. Visitation will be from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Floral Hills Cemetery, Taylor Mill. Memorials are suggested to Beechgrove Baptist Church, 450 Independence Station Road, Independence, Ky. 41051.