Jean Taylor Stallings

Jean Taylor Stallings, 84, of Durham, North Carolina, passed away peacefully on May 22, 2026. Jean was born in Greeneville, Tennessee to Robert Love Taylor and Hazel Davenport Taylor. Her family moved to Durham when Jean was 11 years old. After attending the Durham public schools, Jean graduated from Stratford College.

Jean married John Milton Harrington in 1964 and was an army wife at Fort Campbell, Kentucky when their daughter, Barbara, was born. Later, Jean would recall her time with John Milton with great fondness. In 1966, after her husband’s death in Vietnam, Jean and her daughter moved back to Durham. In 1970, she married Dr. Riley Stallings, Jr. and was engaged in the Durham community as an avid bridge player and a member of several Durham organizations, including Garden Clubs and the Junior League. In her spare time, she enjoyed playing with her grandchildren, reading, watching Duke basketball, and eating mint chocolate chip ice cream. She volunteered at the Duke Cancer Center, where she would later be treated for breast cancer herself. She also spent several holidays helping out at the Durham Rescue Mission.

In 2022, Jean moved to Croasdaile Village where she enjoyed playing BINGO, attending exercise classes, listening to music, watching movies, feeding the ducks, and taking long walks. She leaves behind many dear friends and caregivers from her time in Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Care, and the Pavilion.

Jean is survived by her daughter Barbara Gherman; her grandsons, Matthew Gherman and Benjamin Gherman; her brother, William (Bill) Taylor and Sissy Taylor; her nephews, Brian Taylor (Mary Mercer) and David Taylor (Kathleen); and David’s children, Molly, Benton and Charlie.

A service will take place at 2:00 pm on Saturday, June 27 in the Croasdaile Village Few Interfaith Chapel, 2600 Croasdaile Farm Parkway, Durham. A reception will follow the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be directed to the Croasdaile Village Benevolent Care Annual Fund at the following online address: umrh.org/donate-online

The family is under the care of Hall-Wynne Funeral Service. Online condolences may be shared at www.hallwynne.com -select obituaries.