The dedication of the sacred turtle rock set for Thursday, April 3, 11 a.m. at Ajijic’s Malecón park will also be a special occasion for Casas Cariñosas, the non-profit organization that operates the Abbeyfield retirement home for independent seniors.
Casas Cariñosas is sponsoring the commemorative plaque that is being installed at the massive stone formation known as Teoayotzín as a tribute to the late Elizabeth (Lissa) Taylor.
Taylor was the major benefactor involved the 2006 foundation of Abbeyfield-Ajijic, the first Latin American affiliate of an international association of affordable living facilities for active pensioners.
A true world citizen long before the global era, Taylor was born in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada on December 11, 1913, the daughter of English-Irish parents. She lived in Great Britain during her early childhood and was later educated in Switzerland. She returned to Canada as a teenager and enrolled in nursing school. In her later professional career in Canada, she worked in the fashion industry and secured important roles in government trade commissions at a time when such positions were rarely open to women. These business sojourns took her around the world to far flung countries in Asia and behind the Iron Curtain.
Following retirement Taylor ventured on her own to Mexico, traveling around by motor home until 1975 when she finally put down roots in Ajijic. She quickly became active in the community by backing philanthropic causes. As a steadfast member of the St. Andrew’s Anglican Church congregation, she was instrumental in starting up Regalorama, the church’s annual Christmas season bazaar that raises fund for various Lakeside charities.
After lending a significant hand in getting Abbeyfield off the ground, Taylor spent the last four years of her life as a contented resident of the cozy complex of en-suite rooms and casitas. She died peacefully there on January 6, 2011.
Immediately following the dedication ceremony, Abbeyfield will host an open house for visitors interested in learning more about its accommodations and services. The facility is located Calle del Lago 9, just across the street from the Malecón open-air amphitheater.
