Anna Taylor Neville

Anna Taylor Neville was born the sixth of eight children to the late Frank and Elizabeth Taylor in Fluvanna County, Virginia on June 26, 1937. Leaving Fluvanna County, the Taylors moved to Richmond, Virginia where Anna spent her adult life and met her devoted late husband, Frank Neville, Jr. The two fell in love and were married on April 18, 1955, and to this union, two children were born: Frank Neville, III (deceased) and Tammy Neville (Extavour). Anna spent her young married life raising her children and numerous foster children, endeavoring to keep siblings in the foster care system together.

In 1975, Anna started what came to be a 45-year career as an educator in the Richmond Public School system, where she was well known and highly regarded. She began her career as a Parent Educator at Reid Elementary School and went on to work at several schools in multiple roles. Anna’s most rewarding role as an educator was at the Adult Career Development Center where she taught both during the day and in the evening. Anna especially enjoyed “Night School”, working with motivated adults who had made the decision to return to school and obtain their GED. With the challenges of COVID, Anna retired in 2021 at the age of 84. Had the world not turned upside down, she would have worked in the Richmond Public School System until the day she died.

Anna had a love for education as a teacher, a learner, and a matriarch. She was keenly aware of its power, and it drove her to pursue higher education. While working full time, Anna received her Associate Degree at J. Sargent Reynolds Community College and attended Virginia Union University. She was a strong role model for her children and grandchildren—anyone who knew Anna knew that she was a fierce advocate for them. She ensured they had access to every educational opportunity and program available in the city of Richmond during their formative years. She was particularly stern with respect to schooling; the success and tenacity that her children and grandchildren have today is in large part due to the example that she set and the role she played. 

Anna loved the Lord and was a long-term member of Cedar Street Baptist Church. As a devoted member of the Senior Choir, Anna could be easily spotted on Sundays in the choir loft—the shortest member, first row, front and center. 

No obituary for Anna would be complete without mention of her favorite hobby: B-I-N-G-O. Anna had enough bingo dabbers in her car to sell at a stand. She loved the comradery of her Bingo community. Anna was particularly competitive, and she loved to play card games and dominoes. No game could be over until Anna secured a win!

During Thanksgiving and Christmas, Anna’s tales of childhood mischief with her brothers and sisters would fill the room with laughter. That ol’ Robert Lee had Julia, Thelma, and Anna jumping off rooftops, churning bee hives to “listen to the bees sing”, and training to box using punching bags made of rocks in a potato sack so they could face off as Joe Louis versus Max Schmeling. No matter how many times she recounted the same stories year after year, the laughter at the table was belly aching, and the dinners were not complete without her crowd-pleasing sweet potato and lemon meringue pies.

In 2023, Anna moved to Pennsylvania to be cared for by her loving daughter as her health declined. While she had dementia, she never forgot her loved ones. Her caregivers and medical team in the Reminiscence Neighborhood at Sunrise of Abington were shocked by her strength and unmatched will for independence, having arrived with 96% kidney failure. She drank so much water, they felt guilty about their own water intake. They jokingly hypothesized that her water intake was the reason for her long-lasting life with chronic kidney disease, without dialysis and with no visible appearance of illness. Anna received remarkable care at Sunrise, and her daughter visited faithfully each week for hours at a time. Her grandchildren made several trips to visit her, showing love that she could feel.

Anna’s body ultimately succumbed to kidney disease at the age of 88. On the morning of November 26, 2025, she transitioned peacefully to her eternal home.

Anna was preceded in death by her beloved son, Frank Neville III. Her legacy lives on through her daughter, Tammy Neville (Extavour); 9 grandchildren: Katina Patterson, LaShenna Neville, Sherri (Charletta) Hocket, Sonika (Brian) Puryear, Frank Neville IV, Jalissa Neville, Taylor Extavour, Gina Extavour, and Lauren Extavour; 14 great grandchildren; and 8 great-great grandchildren. She also leaves behind one sister, Thelma Smithson, along with a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and other relatives and friends to cherish her memory.

Remains rest at Joseph Jenkins Jr. Funeral Home, 2011 Grayland Avenue, where Mrs. Neville can be viewed on Friday, December 12, 2025, from 10:00am to 8:00pm, and where funeral services will be held on Saturday, December 13, 2025, at 2:00pm. Interment private.

Family and friends are asked to assemble at the funeral home at 1:45pm on Saturday.

Online condolences are available at www.jenkinsjr.com.