Born Dorothy Catherine Welbon in Bakersfield just before the Depression hit, Dorothy was a valued member of Redwood Forest Meeting and lived her last 17 years at nearby Friends House, both in Santa Rosa.
In 1951, Dorothy graduated from Whittier College and married Everett Taylor. He became a Methodist Minister and they traveled all over the world in the ministry, raising three children and undertaking all kinds of peace-building projects as they went. Dorothy enjoyed traveling and living abroad, starting in Hawaii in 1955. She was part of a work team in India in 1966 that included travel to the Holy Land and Asia. She worked with World Neighbors in Honduras and traveled to Nepal, Russia, and many other places. Her last trips were to Brazil in 2012 and South Africa in 2016.
Dorothy worked with the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Women in Black and other organizations promoting peace around the world.
At home in the US, she taught special education classes, worked on every kind of Quaker committee, raised her three children Mark, Rachel, and Deborah, then welcomed her grandchildren and a great grandchild as they arrived. Eight years after Everett’s death in 1988, she married Bob Duncan and added his son, Robert, to her family. Dorothy supported Bob during his increasing mental decline right up until her death.
Dorothy was a gentle, hard-working, cooperative person who joined up with Quakers in 2004. Gardens featuring flowers and vegetables were often a big part of her life. A Memorial Gathering for her memory was held at Friends House on February 9. 2019.