Merleanor Simmons

Merleanor Lenore Taylor Simmons was born on August 23, 1944, in her beloved land Parish of St. Catherine, Jamaica West Indies to the late Mr. Harold Taylor and Mrs. Elsie Taylor. God called her home on April 1, 2024, at Trident Medical Center in Summerville, South Carolina.

Merleanor, who often went by Lenore, lived most of her childhood in Jamaica in a small town called Ewarton. At the age of fourteen, Merleanor and her brother John moved from St. Catherine, Jamaica to Brooklyn, New York where their parents had established a new home in America. She attended Franklin K. Lane High School in Brooklyn, New York, then attended Ruffin High School in Ruffin, South Carolina, where she graduated. Merleanor also graduated from the College of New Rochelle and later became the Administrative Director for the New York City Department of Health Bureau of Dentistry. There, she worked diligently until retirement from the state of New York. Lenore never gave up her homeland and would visit often by obtaining dual citizenship for both Jamaica and the United States. Besides travel, her hobbies consisted of gardening, shopping, and singing. December 26, 1962, until November 25, 1981, Merleanor was married to Andrew Simmons of South Carolina. During their matrimony, they had three beautiful daughters; Sharon, Wakiesha, and Alesha.

After retirement, she decided to make the transition to South Carolina to be closer to her daughters and grandchildren. She was the sixth of seven children.

Merleanor was preceded in death by her father, Harold Taylor; mother, Elsie Taylor; her brothers whom she cherished, John Taylor, Michael Taylor; her beloved sister, Vonley Taylor; her beloved brother-in-law, Byron G. Francis (Jean)

Merleanor leaves to cherish her loving daughters, Sharon Simmons, Wakiesha Simmons, and Alesha North (Ryan); grandchildren, Dere, Corey, Ashlee, Collin, Chelsea, Marlon Jr., and Raven; great grandchildren, Kyemondre, Kylelaila, Kyeturah, Kyrey, Myles, Milan, Kyler, and Koi; brothers, Wayne Taylor, Brian Taylor: sisters, Jean Francis, Cherry Holness, Trudy Levy (Ralph) and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends who have become family.

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