BRUNSWICK – Junelle was born in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 13, 1941, to G. Cuthbert Taylor, D.O., a physician, and Karla Snell Taylor, musician, homemaker, and volunteer. She had no siblings but treasured the brotherly relationships with her Vancouver B.C. cousins. She graduated with Honors, Phi Beta Kappa, from Pomona College in 1963.

Junelle married her college sweetheart, Bruce Brandt and they had two children, Kathryn and David. Junelle subsequently lived in Rochester, New York; Palo Alto and Cardiff by the Sea, California; Brookline, Massachusetts (where her children were reared) and Tallahassee, Florida before retiring. She has four grandchildren. Upon retirement, Junelle and Bruce spent summers and autumns in Harpswell, Maine near three of their grandchildren and winters in San Francisco close to the other.

With a major in Zoology, Junelle worked as a medical research assistant at the University of Rochester Medical School and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. She managed a clinical study in low vision rehabilitation, prompting a return to Graduate School midlife, receiving a Masters of Social Work degree in 1993. Combining interests in medical and social issues, she worked for hospice and a statewide non-profit community organization, Florida Healthy Start, with a goal to better understand and improve local maternal and infant health outcomes.

Junelle wrote in a life story for her 50th class reunion: “I’ve enjoyed a number of volunteer activities with Planned Parenthood, Educators for Social Responsibility, Unitarian Universalist Education Programs, and ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages) tutoring. My love of music and art enhance everything I do. I’m an enthusiastic concert, theater and museum goer and addicted to the recent Metropolitan Opera HD Live Broadcasts. I’ve enjoyed singing in community choruses, sewing, quilting, traveling, and participating in book groups, painting classes and continuing education programs. My most memorable trip was to the USSR in 1986 with a group of high school musicians coinciding with the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.”

Junelle made many lifelong friends throughout her journey. In retirement, Junelle maintained body/psyche with QiGong and strove to preserve the earth and pass on experiences of nature, quiet, and the “true and beautiful” that she valued to her grandchildren and everyone around her. Junelle and Bruce celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on June 13, 2023.

Junelle passed away peacefully on Dec. 13, 2023 in Brunswick, Maine. There will be a memorial gathering in the spring. Please email dbrandt@sonic.net if you would like to be notified.

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