Obituaries Announcements
With her family by her side, Carolyn Taliaferro peacefully lost her courageous battle with cancer on Sunday, January 26, 2025.
Funeral service will be 10:30 AM, Saturday, February 1, 2025, at the Nortonville Pleasant Grove Christian Church with Pastor Robert McGuire officiating. Burial will follow at the Evergreen Cemetery, Effingham, KS. The family will receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00 PM on Friday January 31, 2025, at the church. Memorials are suggested to the Nortonville Pleasant Grove Christian Church and may be sent in care of the Becker-Dyer-Stanton Funeral Home. Online condolences may be left at www.beckerdyer.com. Carolyn will lay in state at the Becker-Dyer-Stanton Funeral Home in Atchison on Friday January 31, 2025, from 8:00 AM- 3:00 PM.
Carolyn was born on November 23, 1948, to Ernest and Leona (Jarratt) Congrove at Horton Hospital. A 1966 graduate of Atchison County Community High School, she went on to earn her bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University in 1970. On February 14, 1970, she married the love of her life, Alva Lee Taliaferro, and together they built a life filled with love and purpose. Carolyn dedicated 29 years to education at USD #377 school district, impacting the lives of countless students.
A faithful member of Nortonville Christian Church, Carolyn served as a pianist and found joy in her community. She was active on the Effingham Library Board and participated in many local organizations, including the Effingham Community Club, Effie Red Hats, Retired School Personnel, and the This and That Club. Carolyn’s love for her family was unmatched, and her pride in her two grandsons was evident to anyone who knew her.
Carolyn is survived by her husband of almost 55 years, Alva Lee, her son, Aaron (Monica) Taliaferro of Effingham, her daughter, Megan (Jack) Laurie of Atchison; and her beloved grandsons, Mason Hawk and Kade Laurie, both of Atchison. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Shirley Congrove of Kansas City; her brothers, Jim (Dorothy) Congrove of Lawrence and Bob (Patsy) Congrove of Topeka; and two cousins who had become like sisters to her, Helen Hall and Dorothy Reddick of DeKalb. Carolyn leaves behind three nephews, four nieces, and numerous great nieces and great-nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Jerry Congrove.
Carolyn’s life was a testament to love, service, and dedication to her family, faith, and community