Bertha Nellie Taylor was born on March 13, 1940 to the late Walter and Daisy Waller Shired. Nellie, as she was fondly called, was the sixth of seven children. Through early teachings and intervention, Bertha attended St. Paul United Methodist Church, where she received spiritual guidance. She was educated in the Baltimore City School System where she attended Douglass Senior High School. She held various jobs before she retired from Koppers Industries due to disability. There she met and married the late Eddie L. Taylor Boot. In 1964 Bertha gave birth to a son, John L. Reese, who has been devoted to his mother since the onset of her illness. Since the age of 9 his devotion to her has never waivered . Her love for him is everlasting, her heart filled with eternal gratitude to have him as a son. Bertha was somewhat of a radical. In 1963 she joined several thousand supporters at the Lincoln Memorial for the March on Washington. Where she, along side others, rallied in unison fighting for our civil rights. She stood with giants in the entertainment and political field to bring about change for all people. Inspired by the Civil Rights Movement, she joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference SCLCand the Baltimore-Washington Chapter of the Black Panther Party. During the riots of 1968, after the assignation of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., she went to Washington, D.C., known then as Resurrection City, as a member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. She often spoke of her experiences during those times and about the changes they were able to make. She traveled to various cities during her tenure with the Southern Christian Leadersihip Conference, rallying for a cause she believed in ''Equality for All''. Bertha leaves to treasure her memory and cause: her son, John L. Reese; daughter-in-law, Angela Reese; two grandchildren, Anthony Reese and Jasmine Reese; sister, Mrs. Delores M. Brown; the daughter of her heart, Karen Barnes; three generations of nieces and nephews; and a host of other relatives and friends.