Sue Taylor, who for 16 years was the friendly face of the Wisconsin Conference UCC, died Sunday at her home in Waunakee. She was 68.
For much of her tenure she was first member of the staff to greet visitors at the front desk of the Conference headquarters at the former Trost Center in DeForest. More recently, Sue transitioned with the rest of the team to the new Conference office at Daycholah Center.
Behind the scenes, she provided administrative support for key Conference functions such as clergy oversight – think Boundary Training, Anti-Racism Training and Annual Information Review Forms – and helped ensure that the i’s were dotted and t’s crossed for milestone events like Conference and association annual meetings. She also served as search-and-call coordinator, assisting congregations looking to fill pulpits and tracking candidates.
A person of deep faith, Sue wore her big heart on her sleeve and proudly flashed her own brand of snarky humor.
“Sue was a loyal friend and kind colleague who loved to laugh and never hesitated to speak her mind,” Conference Minister Franz Rigert recalled. “Her frequent sarcasm was always followed by a bright smile and eyes that reminded us how much she cared.”
As Associate Conference Minister Jane Anderson put it: “She was always a light of love and joy, even when things were really hard.”
The affection for Sue wasn’t limited to the Conference office.
“She was beloved,” Jane said. “Whenever she was introduced with the rest of the staff at Annual Meeting, she got the most applause, second to none.”
There was a good reason for that, according to former Associate Conference Minister Rob MacDougall: “Sue was the right person to have at the front desk. People would call, and she knew who they were and knew how to help them.”
In a role that demanded attention to detail, Sue excelled.
“She really cared about doing a good job and her work was always outstanding,” said Deb Simon, the retired Conference director of technology and communications and Sue’s former supervisor. “She would jump in to help because she felt her responsibility was to do whatever the Conference needed.”
Sue arrived at the Conference in the midst of a divorce and cherished the emotional lift that came as she assumed more and more responsibility within the team.
“At that point in my life, I needed to feel good about myself again,” she said in an interview before she retired in 2023. “I was very low. I used to tell people that the Conference made me feel good about myself again.”
Her children — Annie, a graphic artist who’s married and lives in Sheboyban, and Nathan, who lives with his wife and two young children outside Washington, where Nathan is on the faculty of Catholic University of America – were the source of her greatest joy.
“Her love and pride and dedication to her kids were striking,” said Lisa Hart, associate conference minister for faith formation and justice ministries. “They’d been through a lot together, and she was a fierce mom.”
Sue brought her own strong faith to the job. “She was a devout Catholic, praying the rosary every night,” Franz said. “Yet she appreciated the progressive social justice values of the United Church of Christ.”
One Lent, she vowed to put the brakes on her wit. “She was going to restrain herself from being so snarky,” Jane said. “She’d catch herself starting to say something, then back away.”
Lisa recalled it this way: “She was very public about giving up snark for Lent. It was the longest Lent of my life.”
It was a beloved uncle, the Rev. Larry Nemer, a member of a Roman Catholic missionary order, who helped guide Sue to the Conference.
“When I answered the (help wanted) ad, I had no idea what the UCC was,” Sue said in the 2023 interview. “I remember talking to my uncle Father Larry, the priest. He said, ‘They are lovely people, Susan. Take the job.’ I’m so glad I did.”
Funeral for Sue Taylor
Mass will be offered at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 8, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 209 South St. in Waunakee. Visitation will begin at 9:30 a.m.