BOZEMAN — Mary Lou Archer-Taylor, 92, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Tuesday, August 19th.
Mary Lou was born on May 7,1933 in Carthage, MO to William Drexel and Lois Hazel (Deboard) Ferguson. She was the first of three children and was later joined by her brother Don and sister Jan.
She married Roy Archer on November 4, 1951 and together they were blessed with 49 years of marriage. Mary Lou and Roy had their first son Royal followed by their son Drex. During this time, they also fostered Charles Burnett in a loving home.
Mary Lou was a pastor’s wife for 35 years traveling with Roy to many states including TX, KS, MO, ND, SD, and MT where they ministered to many communities. She had a special gift for teaching children and the youth and leading bible studies. However, her greatest gift was playing the piano. She could truly make hymns come alive and it was evident that the music came from her soul in a way that showcased her love for the Lord.
In her free time, she loved to sew or do crafts and she was a great cook. She made the best fried chicken. Unbeknownst to her family, Mary Lou never loved cooking, but only found it a necessity to life. One of her greatest joys was her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren whom she prayed for often and loved dearly.
In 2001, her husband Roy preceded her in death.
Mary Lou was blessed to have a second marriage to Rev. Bruce Taylor on June 4, 2005. Together, they enjoyed traveling and spending time with both of their families. From this marriage, she was able to finally have the daughters she never had. To Bruce’s children, Lynn, Lorraine, Fran, and Jay, she was known as “Mama Lou”.
Following Bruce’s passing in 2013, she was able to move near her sister Jan and brother-in-law Bob where they were able to spend invaluable time together.
In 2021, she moved to Bozeman, MT where she resided at High Country Care for 4 years. Her High Country family who she loved immensely included residents, Martha, Faye, Jackie, Jeannine, Mark, Sue, and Torri as well as caretakers, Katlyn, Dana, Daniela, Olivia, and Astried.
Mary Lou was preceded in death by both husbands; her brother, Don Ferguson; and daughter-in-law, Shari Archer.
She is survived by her sister, Jan (Bob) Rist; children, Royal Archer and Drex (Carol) Archer; foster son, Rev. Charles (Ann) Burnett; grandchildren, Royal II (Ruthie) Archer, Amber (Mike) Cherland, Jeremy Archer, and Dana Archer; 10 great-grandchildren; stepchildren, Lynn
Haw, Lorraine (Rick) Wheaton, Fran (Kent) Brower, Jay (Darlene) Taylor; along with many extended family and friends.
In lieu of flowers, to honor Mary Lou’s heart for ministry, memorials are appreciated to the Chic Shavers Center for Evangelists. Donations can be made to First Church of the Nazarene, 11811 Stateline Rd., Kansas City, MO 64114 with checks made out to CSCE in memory of Mary Lou Archer-Taylor.
You are invited to join our celebration of life via our online livestream on Thursday, August 28th at 10 A.M. MST. If you’d like to attend in person, please contact the family directly.
Arrangements are in the care of Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service. www.dokkennelson.com
