Leah Jane Taynton

Leah Taynton of Citrus Heights, CA, went home to be with her Lord on April 12, 2024. She was born on September 15, 1943, the daughter of late Thomas Nicholson and Edith Layman Nicholson from Normalville, PA.  She is survived by son Aaron Bilyeu, stepson Mark Taynton, stepdaughter Robin Delong, and stepdaughter Keri Lobdell. She is also survived by sister Doris Chapman, brother Earl Nicholson, brother Homer Nicholson, and brother Clark Nicholson.  Leah is also survived by many nieces and nephews.  Besides her parents, she was predeceased by her husband Douglas Taynton in 2018 and sister Ethel Hawk in 2012.

Leah grew up on a farm in western Pennsylvania and attended Connellsville High School. She later went on to graduate from the Robert Morris School of Business, after which she moved to Washington D.C. to work as a legal stenographer first for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and later for Litton Industries. There she met her first husband, Gary Bilyeu, and not long thereafter they moved to California.

In 1973 Leah found herself a single mother working hard to provide for her young son, Aaron. In 1977 she met the love of her life, Douglas Taynton, and they were married October 6, 1978. Doug’s three children, Mark, Robin, and Keri, were already in college or would leave for college before long (Mark had married his wife Rita two months earlier); however, Leah became an important part of their lives and was known as “Granny Leah” to their children.

Doug and Leah loved to travel. In the 1980’s they took annual trips to Palm Desert to visit Doug’s mother, Elaine. They flew to Hawaii on several occasions. They took several cross-country trips (some by car, others by plane) to see the sights and to visit with Leah’s family in Pennsylvania. Doug’s daughter Robin and her husband, Jon, were living in New York around the same time. They became friends with some of Leah’s family and would visit them on their annual trips to and from Florida. In the 1990’s and early 2000’s Doug and Leah took numerous cruises to various parts of the world. They even managed to visit China with a church group.

In 2006 Doug had a stroke and Leah became his full-time caregiver, caring for him until his passing in 2018. She did an amazing job, showing incredible dedication and constant attention to his needs. Through it all she always put on a brave face, rarely letting show the stress that must surely have been overwhelming at times.
In later years Leah stayed active with her friends and church groups. She liked to read books, and she loved doing jigsaw puzzles. She was particularly fond of Thomas Kinkade puzzles. She stayed in constant contact with her family back in Pennsylvania, particularly her sister Doris and her nieces Tracy and Kathy. Kathy came out to visit twice, in 2020 and in 2022. On these visits they travelled all over Northern California, from Calaveras Big Trees State Park to the Bay Area, to Sutter’s Mill, to Lake Tahoe and Donner Pass, to Redwood National Park and state parks near Eureka. As Kathy put it, “many stops were made and many pictures were taken.”

Finally, as anyone who knew her can attest, the one character trait that completely defined Leah for all of her adult life was her unwavering Christian faith. Her stepson Mark put it best:

“God was a constant presence for Leah. She would refer to Him as the Good Lord. This was not a trite expression but what she believed in and experienced of her Savior. God is good and He cares for us and gives attention to our every need. She is with the Good Lord now and with her beloved husband in heaven. Rita and I thought that she would surely outlive us as she seemed to be so full of life and had such strength. But, praise God! She’s home now. And for we who know the Lord, this is always good news.”

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