Lois Worley Taylor Gaither, age 94, resident of the Glenoch community, Franklin, Georgia, passed away peacefully at her residence on September 29, 2026.

She was born September 2, 1932, to Robert Lee (Bob) Worley and Bertha Green Shumake Worley, next to the youngest of 20 children.

Lois attended Glenloch Grammar School, Centralhatchee High School, and Hoke Smith School of Cosmetology in Atlanta. She spent 10 to 12 years in Ben Hill, and then in Riverdale for 30 years styling men, women, and children's hair.

As a young girl, she loved going to Sunday School at Glenloch Baptist Church where she received a gold star, then a small white Bible for perfect attendance.

Her parents took her to Goshen Methodist Church for worship services.

Lois married Martin Taylor and moved to Oxford, Alabama in June of 1949. By 1957, she gave birth to 4 precious children. They attended Meadowbrook Baptist Church, where she taught 3- and 4-year-old children to sing and pray.

Her dedication, hard work, and love for others kept her busy, working as Secretary of Parents and Teachers at Cold-Water Grammar School, often going to the homes of needy families to help them. She was a Cub Scout leader, so devoted in all her many jobs.

Since moving back to the house that she was born in and married in, she moved her membership to Goshen Methodist Church.

Lois loved to sing, especially Southern Gospel; she also enjoyed singing old country and would pick up Lyda and other friends to go to Senoa to Karaoke. Her grands loved to come to "Mimi's" to sing with her on her karaoke player.

She was asked to enter the Senior Mrs. Georgia contest in Atlanta, where she received 4 trophies. One for best gown, her legacy speech, her song (a Patsy Cline song), and her performance. Always a perfectionist in everything from her appearance to housekeeping, sewing, cooking huge meals, canning, and freezing food, she always found time to read her Bible, often reading and studying it through. Her huge bookcase was filled with Dr. David Jeremiah, Billy Graham, and Charles Stanley books.

Lois' calendar was filled with all her family and friends' birthdays. She never missed sending a special card (with a check) to all her children, grands, greats, and great-greats, praying for each one by name.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by husbands Martin Taylor, Donald Pitchford, and William L. (Bill) Gaither Jr.; her beloved daughter, Martina (Tina) and dear son, Anthony (Tony) Taylor; sisters, Sue Worley, Lyda Prince, Lillie Hurd, Minnie Adams Davis, Carrie Fobbus, Buena Payton Key, Ferrol Mashburn, Burma Gibson, baby Lucy Worley; her brothers, Clarence, Raymond (Bill) Robert (Jack), Herman, Herbert, Earl, and Ernest Worley, Lester Shumake, and baby Shumake.

Lois leaves behind to cherish her memory two sons, Robert and Dan Taylor; five grandchildren, Tiffany (Wade) Simpson, Derek (Tina) Taylor, Shannon Taylor, Whitney (Andrew) Boswell, and Katherine (Josh) Sprague; eleven great-grandchildren, Kayli Simpson, Grayci (Cody) Johnson, Lanie, Summerlyn and Delana Roberts, Bryson Stevens, Bella, Gabriel and Gray Boswell, Kennedi and Aylah Sprague; and four great-great-grandchildren, Evie Elise-Lois Swafford, Waylon Anthony Stevens, Kylan Wilson, and Delilah Johnson. Two former daughters-in-law, Annie Sue and Denise Taylor, and a special son-in-law, Randy Curry, many dear nieces, nephews, stepson Steve Gaither, friends and neighbors.

A funeral service to honor and celebrate Lois' life will be held on Thursday, October 1, 2026, in the Chapel of Martin & Hightower Funeral Home at 11 AM, with Rev. Terry Harper officiating. Interment will follow in the Goshen Methodist Cemetery with the following gentlemen serving as pallbearers: Randy Curry, Jeff Rood, Brad Jackson, Dale McWhorter, and Matt Milam. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 10 AM until the funeral hour.

Messages of condolence may be shared with the family at www.martin-hightower.com. Martin & Hightower Heritage Chapel is honored to serve the Gaither family.