Obituary of Tayloe Holton Loftus

Tayloe Holton Loftus, 68, died at home surrounded by her family on February 26, 2025. Tayloe was born to Linwood and Jinks Holton in Roanoke, Virginia on September 5, 1956. Described in her father’s deep, Southern drawl as “small in stature, big in brains,” Tayloe lived an outsized life. She worked to advance civil rights as a teenager, studied abroad in Cold War Germany as a college student, and graduated as a member of the third class of women at Dartmouth, among so many other endeavors.

Tayloe pursued a career in medicine, serving as an internist, a medical school professor, and the President of the Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine. In each role, she was a tireless, compassionate advocate for students and underserved communities, including Central New York’s large refugee population.

Notwithstanding her dedication to her profession, Tayloe was even more devoted to her family. Her daily requirement was that they sit down for dinner together, even if it was often past 9 P.M., and she marshaled them for her father’s “mandatory show-up” beach vacation for extended family every summer. Fiercely loyal and ever present, she was a consummate partner and mom. Her family carries forward countless shared memories of their happiest times together, hiking in the Adirondacks, skiing in the Canadian Rockies, swimming in the ocean at Sandbridge, and picking crabs in Weems.

In 2011, Tayloe was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease. A famously stubborn overachiever, Tayloe outlived her prognosis by nine years. She confronted the incredible challenges of her illness with courage, determination, and ice cream. Amidst beloved family, friends, and caregivers, her twilight years were filled with love and laughter.

Tayloe is survived by her husband of 39 years, Jon; her children, Elizabeth (Paul), David (Alexandra), and Carter; her grandsons, Liam and Hans; her siblings, Anne (Tim), Woody (Gretchen), and Dwight (Mary Ellen); a large and close-knit bunch of in-laws, nieces, and nephews; cherished friends; and her devoted companion of many years, Roo. They love and miss her dearly.

The funeral mass will be at 10 A.M. on Saturday, March 15 at St. Lucy’s Catholic Church, 432 Gifford Street, Syracuse, New York. Tayloe continued fighting as long as she could for causes in which she believed. Should you wish to honor her memory, Tayloe’s family would welcome donations to the Alzheimer’s Association in lieu of flowers.