Robbie Read

Robbie Jean Read, 75, passed away Wednesday, August 23, 2023 in Graham.  Funeral service will be held Friday, August 25, 2023 at 10 a.m. in Eastside Church of Christ.  Burial will follow in Pioneer Cemetery under the direction of Morrison Funeral Home.

Robbie was born July 20, 1948 in Olney to the late R.J. and Billie (Fain) Taylor.  She married Dwight Read November 24, 1972 in Graham, Texas, and they recently celebrated their 50th anniversary.  Their son Kelley was the joy of their life and her whole heart until Kole and Klayton came along and she realized there was even more to love with grandsons.  She was completely in love with her daughter-in-love Tracy, and was thrilled to finally have a daughter.  

Robbie was 11 months old when she contracted Polio.  Not only did she survive, but she thrived, despite the diagnosis, the crutches, multiple surgeries, and the countless months of in-patient therapy at the Scottish Rite Hospital. The crutches and post-Polio syndrome never slowed her down.  As a pre-teen and teenager, she doted endlessly on her baby brothers Jerry and Robert, pretending they were her own. 

After high school, Robbie attended beauty school and used her talents for over 20 years, both renting and owning beauty salons in Graham.  She was also well known as everybody's favorite Weight Watchers counselor, leading groups in multiple counties for years.  She was an accomplished artist, both on canvas (Southwestern Watercolor Society) and in the intricately beaded jewelry and traditional clothing of the Comanche nation.  Robbie was actually officially adopted into the Comanche nation in the early 1990's after they grew to love her.  She was obsessed with genealogy and with the Taylor heritage in the Comanche blood line.  She would travel across states researching records and making traced copies of headstones, carefully documenting both sides of her lineage.  She would eagerly share this knowledge with others so that they, in turn, could trace their lineage.   She adored flowers and plants of any kind, spending hours out in the garden tending to her flowers.  She shared cuttings, seeds, and her experience with others through Facebook and other platforms, quickly making friends with people she met through her plants.  Robbie also took care of any kitten that wandered up to the house, adopting them, and making sure they knew they were loved.

Robbie's biggest loves were her Lord, her family, and her friends.  She loved to sit and laugh with you, or sit and cry with you, whichever was warranted.  She loved to support her family in their activities, cheering from the sideline, or getting involved and helping.  Robbie was a life-long member of the Church of Christ, including Loving Highway Church of Christ in Graham, and then Eastside Church of Christ in Graham.

Survivors include; husband, Dwight Read of Graham; son, Kelley Read and wife, Tracy of Graham; brother, Robert Taylor and wife, Lisa of Paradise; grandchildren, Kole and Klayton Read. Many beloved nieces and nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, and one great-great-niece.

She was preceded in death by daughter, Mandy Marie Read, son, Dale Jay, brother, Jerry Taylor, and her parents.