May 31, 2023 10:50 a.m. 

CHI Mercy Health and Mercy Foundation are mourning the passing of Sister Jacquetta Taylor.

Taylor died this past weekend in Omaha, Nebraska, just after her 90th birthday. She was a former CEO of Mercy Medical Center and the founder of Mercy Foundation.

A Mercy release said Sister Jacquetta was one of nine siblings brought up in Willows, California. The organization considered her to be an “an amazing visionary”. After coming to Roseburg, Sister Jacquetta believed that for Mercy to prosper, the location needed to change. She was instrumental in relocating the campus from its prior site on West Madrone Street to the current campus where Mercy and Linus Oakes are today.

Sister Jacquetta was Mercy’s CEO from 1971 to 1996. She formed Mercy Foundation in July of 1973.

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

Sister Jacquetta retired to a home on the Umpqua River. The release said at age 72, Sister Jacquetta learned to golf, kayak on the river and play frisbee golf. She had a very elaborate cat door and pen she built herself for her five 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.

The release said Sister Jacquetta relocated to Omaha under the care of the Sisters of Mercy in 2015. To learn more about her legacy, read the current Mercy Foundation newsletter: https://mercygiving.org/newsletter/05232023/Spring_2023.html