Ruth Georga Taylor passed away at the age of 98 on February 3, 2026, at her home in McKinleyville.

Ruth, who went by Georga, was born on November 28, 1927, in Mankato, Minnesota. Her parents, Ralph and Ruth Bray, were performers and operated a travelling theatrical vaudeville show called the Rainbow Players throughout the western United States in the late 1920s and into the early 1940s. As young kids, Georga and her younger brother, Jerry, lived with their grandparents during the summer show season because Georga said, “we were too young to perform or be useful to the show.” However, once old enough, Georga and eventually Jerry joined the show and they spent their summers performing, hanging show fliers around whatever town they were in, selling tickets, and assisting in setting up and breaking down the stage and props.

Show business and theater interested Georga, to the point where she ventured on her own to New York City in 1947 to try and make it in theater. She attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, hired an agent, worked day jobs to pay rent and living expenses, and performed in several off-Broadway productions. The day job she would tell the most stories about was being a store detective to spot shoplifters at Lord and Taylor and Macy’s in Manhattan. Eventually, she made her way back west, to Oregon, where her parents had settled down. In Eugene, she met George Frederick Taylor aka Fred, who was studying journalism at U of O, go Ducks! After graduating, Fred worked for the Oregonian as a sportswriter and also as a reporter at the Astoria Budget. The only two sports that Georga had interest in were baseball and track and field. Georga and Fred were married in Coos Bay, Oregon on October 6, 1951. Three years later they took a bus to the East Coast to travel by ocean liner to Europe for a belated, seven-month, honeymoon. On return to New York City in 1955, Fred started a new job, as a copy editor at the Wall Street Journal, the paper he would work at for the next 30 years. His promotions led to new places, including Detroit, Michigan where Georga and Fred adopted two children, Amelia and Ross. After Detroit, they lived in Washington D.C. in the mid-to-late 1960s, Belvedere, California in 1968-69, and eventually settled in Ridgewood, New Jersey in 1970 where they stayed for 16 years.

Georga was not your typical 1960s-70s housewife. In addition to those responsibilities, she stayed interested in the theater, writing and directing plays and musicals for local theater. She and Fred were both avid readers, political news junkies, and loved attending as many Broadway shows as possible while living near New York City. She loved gardening and planting flowers to specifically attract birds, which were another interest of hers. Another passion she had was designing “dream” houses on pads of graph paper.

In 1986, Fred retired and he and Georga purchased ocean-front property in Charleston, Oregon that had a dilapidated house on it. They had that house torn down and Georga got her dream house! She designed the house and worked with an architect who developed the final blueprints. Several years after moving into the main house, Georga designed a guest cottage that was built to make more room for guests and visiting family. Georga and Fred lived in Charleston for 29 years, until Fred’s passing in 2015. Georga was active in the Charleston-Coos Bay-North Bend community. She volunteered at the Coos County Historical Society and assisted at local elementary schools, mainly with reading literacy. Georga continued to garden in Charleston and enjoyed beach walks, bird watching, ocean sunsets, summer farmers’ markets, and hosting family and friends. She and Fred made annual trips to Eugene to visit journalism friends and catch a Eugene Emeralds baseball game (High-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants).

After Fred’s death, Georga moved to McKinleyville to be near her son and his family. From an ocean-front home to a double-wide mobile home at the Thunderbird Estates on Gwin Road, yet she loved the location and quickly created a new life for herself. Her daily routine was walking to Safeway for groceries, a stop at the Cask and Flask for a copy of the New York Times and then to Ramone’s to read the paper over a coffee and pastry. She walked to many places in McKinleyville and made personal connections everywhere she went, including the library, Blake’s Books, and Miller Farms to name a few. Georga’s ability to volunteer had diminished, yet she generously donated to causes she believed in, such as reading literacy in Coos County, Planned Parenthood, Food for People, Oxfam International, and American Rivers. In her move from Oregon to California, she switched her baseball allegiance from the Seattle Mariners to the San Francisco Giants and religiously watched Giants’ games.

A fall and broken hip in 2018 reduced her mobility and independence. A desire to stay in her home started a long-term relationship with a special set of caregivers, who at first assisted for part of the day, but eventually grew into 24/7 home care. For years, the best part of Georga’s day was going on a drive or, an adventure as she called it, with the day-shift caregiver. She especially loved going to Crescent City, driving along the section of old Highway 101 and the redwoods, seeing elk and ocean views, eating burgers or fish and chips from the Sea Quake Brewery, and in the winter, watching the large groups of sea lions feasting on the herring run in Crescent City harbor.

Georga is survived by her daughter, Amelia Taylor and granddaughters Caitlin and Rachael Evans of Portland, Oregon and her son, Ross Taylor, daughter-in-law, Anya Taylor, granddaughter, Elsa Taylor of McKinleyville and grandson, Zane Taylor of Arcata. Georga’s family expresses their deepest gratitude and thanks to the incredible caregivers that she had, especially to Dena, Jacquie, and Elsa. We also express our thanks to Hospice of Humboldt, especially nurses Kerry and Scotty, who helped us navigate the final stages of Georga’s long and full life. We like to believe that she held on one more day for that final visit from Kerry, to hear her say, “good morning, beautiful” one more time.

As per Georga’s wishes, her ashes will be spread in the ocean in Charleston, Oregon following a small memorial service later this year. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of her favorite charities.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Georga Taylor’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.