Ella Taylor

Ella Taylor was a strong woman with a lively personality and undaunting spirit. She was always at the center of the action and at the core of her family’s bond. Generous, fun-loving, boisterous and caring, she embraced life and those around her. She was full of love and concern for others. Family meant the world to her, yet her hospitality extended to her church and community. She was a great friend to all and had several extra special friends along the way that she shared many good times with.

Ella was born to Siert (Sam) and Bertha (Wezeman) Huizenga, the eldest of five children growing up on Kolin Avenue in Chicago before the family moved into a home built by their grandfather on 59th Court in Cicero. Ella’s father worked multiple jobs to support the family—as a steamship ticket salesman, real estate, and office work at Metro Disposal. In addition to her household tasks, Ella’s mother worked at Wezeman grocery store and did the book work for Metro Disposal. The Huizengas were a close-knit family, and in the years to come, Ella became the glue that kept the family bound together.

Since Ella was the oldest of Clarence, Grace, Ruth and Harry, she helped care for the younger children and did some of the office work beside her parents. With these added responsibilities, she felt justified in leaving the dishes to be washed by her sisters. Grace thought differently. When she had had enough of Ella’s excuses, she elicited help from Ruth and the two of them dunked Ella’s head in the dishwater. Despite this dramatic pay-back, the three sisters got along well, as evidenced by the bedroom they shared. It had one tiny closet, but that was never a problem because each girl had only three dresses.

The family experienced memorable moments together, especially when they went on vacation. They all remember and chuckle about trips to Michigan. Young children and an old Ford meant placing a chair in the car for extra room. Rest stops were handled by merely lifting up the floor board of the car.

Ella attended Ebenezer Christian Elementary School (which later became Timothy Christian with her grandfather, Klaas Wezemen serving on its first board) and Chicago Christian High School. The Huizenga family was dedicated to educating children in the Christian faith, and the schools supported the parents’ efforts, along with the church. Over the years, Ella was nurtured by the Reformed church communities of Ebenezer, First CRC of Cicero and Lombard Christian Reformed as well as First Presbyterian Church of La Grange. Often times, Ella attended as many church services as she could on a Sunday morning, in part because she was fond of music: choral, organ, hymn singing and opera.

Ella met her future husband on the north side of the city. Her friend Lil introduced her to Ed Taylor, who drove bus and worked at Edgewater Beach Hotel on Chicago’s north side. The two dated for less than a year before deciding to marry. They held the wedding ceremony in Oak Park on November 23, 1960 and honeymooned (where else?) in the luxurious Edgewater Beach Hotel. Very sadly, they had less than ten years together when Ed died on February 25, 1970. Ella never married again.

Drawing on her office experience in her youth, Ella worked at Sunbeam for many years and as a receptionist at Loyola Hospital. Ella was proud of the family connection to Waste Management and developed a hobby of watching the stock prices.

Her work afforded Ella the opportunity to travel, which she did in spades. Sometimes with her sister Ruth, or a friend or even all alone, she vacationed in China, Egypt, Turkey, South America, Hungary, Iceland, India, and Italy--always updating you on her latest adventures with a picture on her Christmas card. She attended all the Huizenga reunions in Bay Harbor, Michigan, and the Netherlands. Nearly every year, she drove on her own to visit a friend in California and, to the amazement of others, she was known to travel to Colorado for lunch with her niece Lisa. On another occasion, she and her niece Nancy invited another niece to join them on what turned out to be lunch at a restaurant in Iowa…three hours away! Needless to say, Ella was never afraid to drive great distances or to offer her “taxi” service to anyone who needed to be shuttled to the airport.

Fearlessness underscored Ella’s eventful trip to the Amazon. She had missed her cruise ship and found herself all alone in unfamiliar territory. Resourcefully, she arranged to travel up the river by canoe to catch up with the cruise ship. One of the natives even carried her through the water so she wouldn’t get wet as she boarded her transport.

At home, Ella’s house was the hub of family gatherings. She hosted her siblings and their families for Christmas parties in her basement. But as the families grew to include great nephews and nieces who had Christmas parties of their own, the whole family opted to celebrate Ella’s birthday instead.

Ella rarely cooked and spoke of dusting her oven and using it only for storage, but she was known for making chicken wings and Polish Mistakes for her Christmas party, and ribs for the Merry Widows, a group of her church friends. For many years, the widows got together once a month for an outing or a dinner. If Ella had her say, they would dine at B&B Restaurant on LaGrange Road or enjoy her favorite wine and chocolate. Whether Ella was out with friends, teaching Sunday school, listening to the Gaither Trio, solving Word Search puzzles, hosting parties, fawning over a burgundy Ford with a rumble seat, or picking fruit from her car and delivering it to nieces and nephews, she always had fun!! So did everyone else.

Ella’s generosity knew no bounds. She was very generous with her nieces and nephews and her friends and was often found helping people she barely knew – especially with education expenses. Timothy Christian School was also a benefactor of her generosity.

Ella was always happy. If anyone asked, “How are you?” she always replied, “SUPER DUPER!”