Carolyn Nancy Eggers Taft

Carolyn Nancy Eggers Taft (January 15, 1930 – August 5, 2026) Carolyn E. Taft was born 1/15/1930 to William and Lillian Eggers in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. She graduated from Shaker Heights High School in 1947 and pursued a college degree at Denison University. She was a member of the Chi Omega Sorority. In August of 1951 she married Charles K. Taft; the couple spent two years in Cambridge, Massachusetts while her husband attended MIT. They returned to the Cleveland area, where their three sons were born. In 1967 the family moved to Durham, New Hampshire where her husband joined the faculty of The University of New Hampshire. In 1969, after recovering from breast cancer, along with two other survivors, she formed a chapter of the ‘Reach For Recovery Group’, sponsored by the Cancer Society. They called on all breast cancer survivors in four New Hampshire hospitals. This work continued for many years. In 1974, Carol and her husband, along with two other couples, formed the Oyster River Athletic Booster Club at the local high school. She served as treasurer for seven years until her last son graduated. After her husband retired in 1994, they moved to Lincoln Beach on the Oregon Coast. They enjoyed walking the beach and searching for agates. They also enjoyed sitting and gazing out their window, as the high winds and rain storms shook their condo. In 2004, they moved to Centennial, Wyoming to live near their eldest son and his wife. However, the 8300-foot altitude proved to be too much for them, so they eventually moved back to Corvallis, Oregon, where they’ve lived ever since. Carol loved living in a retirement community, and enjoyed being the “official greeter” for the new residents. Carol loved to travel and take cruises with her family. She visited Bermuda several times with all her family. She was also very interested in her family genealogy. She was able to trace her ancestors back seven generations. She loved building jigsaw puzzles, playing games with her family and working on Word Search puzzles. In 2007, at 77 years old, she took up geocaching; her eyes would light up each time she was able to find a geocache. But her real passion was her family! One of the highlights of her year was the annual week-long family reunion! She was a loving wife and a wonderful mother, who worked hard to instill great values and a solid work ethic in her sons. She is survived by her husband of over 74 years, Charles K. Taft; sons Charles K. Taft Jr. (Kirk) and his wife Nancy of Gig Harbor, WA; Frederick Taft and his wife Dianne of Corvallis, OR; and Richard Taft and his wife Linda of Fort Collins, Colorado. Also surviving her are four grandchildren: Ryan Taft and Aaron Taft of Corvallis; Emily Porter of Columbus OH; and Lily Sikes of Fort Collins; and two great-granddaughters. She was pre-deceased by her sister Patricia Cochran of Brecksville, Ohio.

Tributes

Carolyn Nancy Eggers Taft

January 15, 1930 - August 5, 2026