(Roseburg, OR) - It is with a heavy heart that we share former Mercy CEO and Founder of Mercy Foundation, Sister Jacquetta Taylor, passed away in Omaha, NE this past weekend just after her 90th birthday. 

Sr. Jacquetta was one of 9 siblings brought up in Willows, CA. She was an amazing visionary to Mercy and our community. Sr. J (as she was fondly known) knew that if Mercy was to prosper, the location needed to change; she was instrumental in relocating the campus from the previous Madrone Street site to our current campus where Mercy and Linus Oakes are today. She was Mercy’s CEO from 1971 to 1996, and during her legacy, she formed Mercy Foundation in July of 1973.

Our current Foundation President and close friend of Sister J, Lisa Platt, shares, “There is always one person in your life that really makes a difference, and that person for me was Sr. J. She taught me the true meaning of humility, selflessness, generosity, and gratitude. I will miss her greatly.”

In 1996, she retired from CEO of Mercy to her beloved home located on the Umpqua River.

Never shy of challenges, at 72 years old, she learned to golf, kayak the Umpqua River, and play frisbee golf. She had a very elaborate cat door and pen she built herself for her 5 indoor cats, along with creating her own watering system for her yard where she was known for growing the best tomatoes, lemon cucumbers, and roses.

She relocated to Omaha under the care of the Sisters of Mercy in 2015. Her legacy of compassion and service continues to live on through our Mercy Foundation.  To learn more about her legacy, please read our current Mercy Foundation newsletter here: Mercy Foundation eNewsletter Spring 2023 Edition