Yolanda Maria Taylor, age 44, lost her 15-year battle with cancer on Thursday, Feb. 18 in her home, surrounded by family and friends.
Yolanda was born Dec. 4, 1976 in Detroit, Michigan to Bernhardine Cobb and Kenneth Steele. She attended school in Junction City, Kansas prior to moving to Missouri in 2005.
She is survived by her husband, Brian; daughter, Jeni and children, Cooper and Addison; daughter, Kavacea Taylor and Shamar and children, Z’Amarie and Mai’lani; daughter, Brina Taylor and son Za’Kyun; her mother, Bernhardine and Maurice Adams; her brother, Kenneth Steele and wife Shakesha and nieces Amanda, Kyndra and Sienna; brother, Antwon Steele; sister-in-laws, Lynette Taylor, Betty Ticer, Phyllis Johnson; brother-in-laws, Alvin Taylor Jr. and Robert Ticer; and a host of nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her maternal grandparents, Maria Schmidt and Vernie Lee; and nephew, Lyndville Ticer.
While Yolanda spent a large portion of her adult life working, her influence in the world of youth sports is what she will be remembered for by the hundreds of kids she has coached and mentored through the Grant Beach Sports League, the Springfield-Greene County Park Board and Lakes Country Soccer. She was the 2018 recipient of the City of Springfield’s Gift of Time award for her many hours of volunteerism in youth sports programming.
A visitation and celebration of life service was held Feb. 27 at Herman Lohmeyer Funeral Home in Springfield.