Salle J. Taft

Salle Josephine Taft passed away on Saturday, October 24, 2020 peacefully at her home in Crestview Hills, Kentucky surrounded by loved ones. She had a strong will for living but finally succumbed to Metastatic Breast Cancer after 8 years.

Salle was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and was the only child in the family to do so. They had recently migrated to Florida from Cincinnati to pursue the wild expanses of open land in Florida. She was born January 7, 1949 and was 71 years old at the time of her death. She was born to the late Samuel Hills Taft and Alice May Roddy and was preceded by her sister, Susanne Roddy Taft and was the youngest of four children, the rest of whom are still living: Samuel (Skip) Hills Taft and Charles (Neil) Roddy Taft.

She had one grandmother who called her “Salle Jo” but was usually known as Salle. The only other name given to her was Nana by her two grandchildren.

She leaves behind her husband, Scott, the love of her life. She is lovingly survived by her daughter, Sarah Elizabeth Neukam (Andy) and son Samuel Henry Simons (Kylene). She was married to the father of Sarah and Sam, Ronald Simons, for 23 years. She is survived by two grandchildren: Shawn Neukam and Katherine Neukam.

She obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree and Masters in Art Education from the University of Cincinnati and a Masters of Art Therapy from Wright State University. She worked as an art teacher and art therapist and had a private practice in counseling in Batesville, Indiana. She retired from South Dearborn School Corporation after 18 years of service. The work she loved the most was as an art therapist because she believed in the transformative power of art making.

She belonged to the Cincinnati Book Arts Society and spent most of her time in retirement making unique, hand bound books. It was her favorite activity. She also belonged to Corvettes of Hamilton, Fort Thomas Corvette Club, and Vettes for Veterans. She and Scott enjoyed the camaraderie of many fun individuals in those clubs.

Visitation will be held on Friday, October 30, 2020 from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm at Linnemann Funeral Homes (1940 Burlington Pike, Burlington, KY 41005). A Memorial Service will immediately follow at 6:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to a charity of your choice in Salle’s name. Online condolences can be left at www.LinnemannFuneralHomes.com