A celebration of Naomi's life will occur on
Thursday, September 22,2022
St. Matthews AME Church
215 North 57th Street
Philadelphia, Pa. 19139
NO VIEWING
Service: 10:00 a.m.
We request family and friends who prefer
to send plants or flowers,
to coordinate with one of the
following reliable local florists:..
June's Floral Design: (610) 726-4351
Overhill Flowers: (215 ) 473-1842
Simply Floral: ( 610) 622-7980
Have the florist deliver
your selection
to the church no
later than 8:30 a.m.
the day of the service.
DUE TO A GLITCH IN OUR SYSTEM
PLEASE DISREGARD THE FOLLOWING
NOTATION REGARDING ANY ORDERS
INCLUDING FLOWERS, CANDLES OR
MEMORIAL TREE PLANTINGS
WITH THE TRIBUTE STORE!!!!
THANK YOU!!
NAOMI MCADOO LIFE STORY
NAOMI, who was the only child born of the union of Beatrice and William Harrison, was born
August 12, 1921, in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. She was the product of the Pittsburgh public school
system. It was at Schenley High School that she met her future husband, Andrew Hargraves Taylor
(who, also, was an only child). Of their union, Donald and Tona (aka Toni) were born. A son was
stillborn, and a daughter, Lynette, died soon after birth.
The family subsequently moved to Philadelphia where Andrew worked at the Navy Yard and
Naomi held various domestic jobs. It would be years later that she found the job she thoroughly
enjoyed: selling in various departments at Strawbridge and Clothier (having previously worked at
The Blum Store on Chestnut Street). She received many many accolades from both customers and
employers.
Irreconcilable circumstances caused Naomi and Andrew to go separate ways. In 1953, Naomi
married Robert McAdoo. Their devotion to one another was broken by his death in 1974.
Church “life” had always been an important part of Naomi’s life, having attended the Warren
United Methodist Church in Pittsburgh as a child and teenage years and, later (as an adult), the
Central Baptist Church (also in Pittsburgh.) She became a Sunday School Teacher while at the Mt.
Olivet Baptist Church in Philadelphia. But it was at the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, under the
pastorage of Reverend Albert Campbell that she seemed to find her niche. She was a member
there for over forty years, having served as a missionary and member of the “Just Us” ministries.
She would frequently visit St. Matthew, where her daughter was (is) a member. Having for the first
time heard the late Reverend Theophilus Harper preach, Naomi remarked to Tona, “Your church
sounds like it’s Baptist!”
When memory loss was becoming more frequent with Naomi, and Tona had started picking
Naomi up to take her to church, Naomi decided that she would come to St. Matthew instead of being
dropped off at Mt. Carmel. On Mother’s Day of 2015, under the pastorage of Reverend Roland
McCall, Naomi joined St. Matthew.
Naomi was a devoted daughter to her mother. Before her mother went to live with her, Naomi
called her every day. When she had to put her mother in a nursing home, Naomi visited her every
day. Indeed, she “honored” her mother. And God, who is a promise-keeper, gave Naomi a long
(and, for the most part, good) life. She was a wonderful mother as well as loving grandmother, great
grandmother and great-great grandmother.
She was preceded in death by her oldest grandson, Kent Allen Taylor.
Cherished memories will be shared by: Donald (Doris) and “Toni”; her grandchildren, Matthew
(Artavia), Jeffrey and Cheo (Efiya); her great-grandchildren, Ryan, Jeffrey, II, (Shanice), Kyle, and
Artavia; great-great-grandchildren, Jahsiri, Adeniji, Zenzele, Syncere and Javiyah; in addition to
many other relatives and many friends who will treasure her memory.
