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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Angel for patients ensured 1,000 aid flights took wingAngel Flight South Florida mourns Toby Taylor
Mrs. Taylor, who along with her husband, Robert, founded Angel Flight South Florida in 1989, died Monday of cancer at Hospice By The Sea in Boca Raton. She was 71. "She was the kind of person who had a heart as big as the state of Florida," Robert Taylor said Tuesday. "Everything we ever did together was not for the money. We did it because we wanted to help people, no other reason than that." The Taylors, who moved to suburban Boca Raton 22 years ago, first heard of Angel Flight, a nationwide nonprofit organization of pilots and volunteers, when Robert Taylor was recovering from a car accident. Starting with five pilots and two airplanes, the local group today has nearly 400 members and 100 airplanes, said Hy Weinstein, director of ground operations for Angel Flight South Florida. Robert Taylor is an avid pleasure pilot, but because Toby Taylor didn't enjoy flying, she was often on the phone when a hospital, blood bank or health care agency called to schedule air transport of a patient or supplies. It was not unusual for the phone to ring in the middle of the night about picking up a patient across state who needed to be at a North Florida hospital within hours for transplant surgery.
One of Mrs. Taylor's favorite tasks was to arrange weekend getaways at Disney World's Fort Wilderness for children at Jackson Memorial Hospital's burn center. Occasionally she would bend the rules and fly dogs for Gertrude Maxwell, founder of Save A Pet Foundation, needing special treatment to the University of Florida's Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in Gainesville. Robert Taylor described his wife as a 5-foot-2 smiling redhead who was always ready to help those in need. As president of Angel Flight South Florida, she oversaw more than 1000 flights. "She was quite a gal," he said. Besides her husband, Mrs. Taylor is survived by her daughter, Louise; son, Stuart; mother, Katie Slavin; two sisters; a brother; and four grandchildren. Services were Tuesday at the Star of David Cemetery in North Lauderdale. Donations can be made to Hospice By The Sea, 1531 W. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton, FL 33486
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Copyright © 2002-2006
American Disaster Resources, Inc.
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Aug 15, 2001 -- For someone who didn't like to fly, Thelma
'Toby' Taylor spent countless hours arranging free airplane flights for sick
children, organ transplant patients and others with medical emergencies.