Pamela Dawn Taylor, Cherokee’s Mama Cooter, 58, passed away peacefully on Friday, May 15, 2020. The daughter of the late James Taylor and Ellen Driver, she is preceded in death by her brother, James (Jim) Taylor; her sister, Kimberly (Emmett) Jenkins; and her nephew, Kevin Taylor.
Pam leaves behind her brother, Scott Taylor; and her sisters, Terri Taylor, Sandi Reagan and her favorite special sisters, Denise Ballard and Barbara Bowman. Her memory will be carried on by her nephews: Josh, Tony, James, Lloyd, Driver, and her nieces: Jamie, Mandy, Sabrina (Bean) and Brandy along with special great nieces and nephew: Berklee, Memphis, Finley, Avaleena and Jimmy.
Mama Cooter, as she was lovingly known , was a force to be reckoned with. If you knew her then you shared laughter and love with her. A graduate of Mars Hill University, she was the driving force behind getting the original Painttown Gym up and going. Mama Cooter worked for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Recreation Department for 25 years. She loved living in Cherokee and being a part of this community. Mama Cooter believed in supporting her town and its people. Many people will remember seeing her at basketball events or softball events. If she wasn’t coaching a team then she was organizing the event, sometimes even both. Pammy, as some people called her, loved her family and friends. She has so many people that she loved and took in as her babies, no matter what age they were. Her laughter was infectious and her presence brought good times to everyone around her. She will be greatly missed.
The family wants to give a heartfelt thank you to Chrissy Lambert, Dinah Grant, and Renee Cole. The love and support these ladies have shown during this time has been tremendous. They stayed by her side and displayed so much love and support for Pam and the family. Words just aren’t enough to express how much that has meant to the family. A special thank you to Tommye Saunooke and B Ensley for bringing her back home to Cherokee.
The family will be having a private Graveside service on Tuesday, May 19 at the Birdtown Cemetery in Birdtown at 2 p.m. Josh Taylor and Bear Lambert will be giving the final eulogy. Pallbearers will be Bo Crowe, Josh Taylor, Tony Taylor, Driver Blythe, Lloyd Blythe, Zack Hicks, and Rob Saunooke. A funeral procession escorting Mama Cooter will leave from Long House Funeral Home at 1:10 p.m. that afternoon and proceed to her final place of rest.
Long House Funeral Home assisted with arrangements.