Rona Sandy Taylor

Taylor, Rona (Sandy) Duncan 83, of Palm Harbor, passed away peacefully on December 8, 2025. She was born July 30, 1942 in Brookline, Massachusetts, daughter of the late Robert Sr. and Margaret (Duncan) Burniston; the youngest of four siblings. As a young child, her mom was brushing her hair while at the family's annual “camp” in Ogunquit, MA and declared she was “all sandy” inadvertently providing her the nickname Sandy that truly reflected her joyful personality. Sandy graduated from Brookline High in 1960, received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Boston University in 1964 and received her Master of Art Education from the University of South Florida in 1991.

Sandy began her teaching career in the Florida Keys and continued in Virginia, Michigan, and back to Florida to teach at Riviera Middle School and then 11 years at Safety Harbor Middle. She retired in 1999 after teaching for 34 years. Sandy loved teaching and took great joy from introducing the world of art to her students but especially beamed when one would discover their own joy and love for art. Watching them grow into that gift was the reward she most enjoyed from her teaching.

Sandy was active in her faith communities, at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Alpena, Michigan, where she served as Sunday School Art Superintendent; Grace Lutheran Church in Clearwater where she taught art every summer at VBS and participated in many other committees and groups. In her final years she found her home close by at Hyde Park United Methodist, and while not able to volunteer, enjoyed worshiping there until her disease made it too difficult.

Sandy’s disease, Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS), slowed her down, requiring that she retire early, and give up much of her volunteer time, but it didn’t keep her from painting beautiful murals on her grandchildren’s nursery walls or telling all those who came in contact with her about her years helping students find the artist within themselves, even sketching portraits of her friends and neighbors within her ALF. Through all that time, she was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother and while PLS robbed her of many things, it never took that from her.

Sandy was preceded in death by her devoted husband, David L. Taylor; her siblings Harvey Sr. Burniston, Robert Burniston, and Margaret Williams (Burniston); and her son in law, Richard Mendenhall. She is survived by her son Doug Taylor and his wife Mindy; her daughter, Sue (Susan) Mendenhall (Taylor); and five grandchildren, Olivia and Audrey Taylor, and Mackenzie, Ricky and Brian Mendenhall.