Deceased: Gayla Dawn Oliveira

Gayla Dawn Oliveira passed away on March 19, 2011, at Mee Memorial Hospital in King City, CA. at the age of fifty-five. She was born to Phyllis (Sims) Taylor and Richard Taylor in Grover City, (now Grover Beach) near Arroyo Grande on August 7, 1955, where she grew up.
While growing up in Grover City, Gayla attended elementary school and her first three years of high school. Gayla, her parents, and her brother and sister, Michael and Jayme, moved to Greenfield, California, just prior to Gayla's entering her senior year of high school at King City High School. It was during the graduation march at their 1973 graduation that she met the person who would become the love of her life. Jeffery Oliveira and she just happened to have been paired to enter the graduation ceremony together. Until then, they had not met. They married on March 4, 1978.
Following high school, Gayla attended one year of college at Fresno State University, where she majored in home economics. After returning home to help her parents, she entered the world of work. She was a long-time waitress at Keefer's Restaurant in King City, worked at Sprouse-Reitz and also as a preschool teacher's aide Since 1995, she had worked at Safeway in King City. In addition, she has, for the last several years, been a Mary Kay representative, often receiving special recognition for her sales.
Gayla had numerous interests and talents. She especially loved working on crafts. Her home during the Christmas holidays became an exhibit of her handiwork. To go with her crafts, she enjoyed sewing, often making costumes for Halloween and her daughters' plays while they were in school. She liked to read and performed in several productions presented by The Stage Hands, a local drama group. Most of all, Gayla loved her family; she hosted a yearly Christmas Eve family gathering where everyone could share in the joy of the season. She was a loving wife and mother.
Gayla is survived by her husband, Jeffery, her daughters, Carrie (Lupe) and Myriah (David); her parents Phyllis and Richard Taylor; her brother, Michael Taylor, and her sister, Jayme McPhee. She is also survived by her two grandchildren, Leah and Rebecca, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Celebration of Life services were held March 26, 2011, at the First Assembly of God Church in Greenfield at 11:00 A.M. A reception in the church hall followed the ceremony. If you wish, donations can be sent to the American Cancer Society, First Assembly of God Church or charity of your choice.