Heather Dawn Taylor Sperry, 75

October 10, 2023

Heather Dawn Taylor Sperry, age 75, entered her eternal home with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Tuesday, October 10, 2023. Born in East London, South Africa, Heather was the daughter of the late Cecil William Arthur Taylor and Susanna Adriana du Plessis.

An East London Technical College graduate, Heather began her young adult life as a bilingual secretary in Afrikaans and English. At a time when she couldn’t have a university education, the Lord gave Heather an adventurous spirit, which led her to board the RMS Edinburgh Castle, a mail ship, to London, England, as a young lady at age 21. In her two years in London, she worked in an executive placement service and assisted the owner of a travel agency. At a serendipitous time, that owner sent Heather, who was just 23 years of age, to establish a new branch of his travel agency in Australia. While living in Australia, she became an Australian citizen, changed careers, and worked in Sydney’s top radio station during radio’s golden age, where she became the personal assistant to the station’s general manager. She often told her family it was the best job she ever had.

Heather returned to her hometown at age 26. Her adventurous spirit rang true. She planned to work temporarily to fund her subsequent move to Canada with a friend. Ironically, she fell in love with a Canadian who soon whisked her off to Brussels, Belgium (where she learned French). Together, they lived in eight countries, including Venezuela (where she Learned Spanish), Mexico (birthplace of her only child and son), Puerto Rico, and Lancaster, PA. Of all the places she lived, Lancaster was her favorite, where she proudly became an American citizen. She spent her summers in her husband’s hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and traveled to South Africa every few years.

While living in Puerto Rico, Heather developed a love of calligraphy and studied ceramics under the internationally renowned ceramicist Susana Espinosa. She was also passionate about church outreach and used her spiritual gifts to minister to orphans, prisoners, and the afflicted during the AIDS epidemic. When she moved to Lancaster, she participated in numerous bible studies and became a hockey mom.

Heather was multifaceted. In her youth, she excelled as a competitive swimmer, was skilled in tennis and table tennis as an adult, and skied with her husband in Europe. She pursued jazz and tap dance and was an avid follower of winter sports. Heather supported diverse and sundry charities, including sponsoring a child in Zambia.

Heather is survived by her devoted husband, David John Sperry, and cherished son, Dr. Ashton Tylor Sperry Taylor, both of Lititz; her siblings, Hazel Botha, Joy Thiart, and Glenn Taylor (Kathleen); her sisters-in-law, Diane Nener and Sheilia Sperry; and many nieces, nephews, and extended family in Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates.
In addition to her parents, Heather is preceded in death by her step-father, August Grieb; step-mother, Joan Taylor; brothers-in-law, Ralph Nener, Drew Sperry, Christiaan Thiart, Gottlieb Botha; and sister-in-law, Leonie Taylor.

The family will receive friends on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, at Charles F. Snyder Funeral Home, 3110 Lititz Pike, Lititz, PA. 17543, from 2PM to 3PM, with a service beginning at 3PM. Heather will be laid to rest at a later date in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Heather’s memory can be made to ChildFund International, https://www.childfund.org/get-involved/ways-to-donate/, The Salvation Army, https://easternusa.salvationarmy.org/eastern-pennsylvania/, Samaritan’s Purse, https://www.samaritanspurse.org/our-ministry/donate-online, The Jesus Film Project, https://www.jesusfilm.org/how-to-help/ways-to-donate/give-now, or the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/donate.