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WB Area laying off crossing guards, greeters, part-time aides

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Luzerne County finishes mail ballot counting

To her clients, Mary Taylor was more than a hairdresser. She was a friend.
				And to &ldquo;her girls,&rdquo; the women who worked at several local Mary Taylor Hair and Skin Care Centers, she was more than an employer. She was family.
				That became clear in the outpouring of affection that followed Kim Kazokas&rsquo; posting on the business&rsquo; Facebook page last month that 70-year-old Mary Taylor, of Trucksville, had passed away after an illness.
				&ldquo;She was not just our boss. She was part of each of our families,&rdquo; Kazokas wrote, noting that Taylor shared in &ldquo;happy times of babies being born, marriages, when our children graduated and much more. She was also there for us for miscarriages, break ups and much more.&rdquo;
				Clients were quick to respond with similar sentiments.
				&ldquo;Mary was my good friend and hairdresser for at least 35 years,&rdquo; Josie Ritondo Kandrac wrote. &ldquo;She always had a listening ear and kind words. May she rest in peace with the rest of the angels.&rdquo;
				&ldquo;She was more than a hairdresser to me,&rdquo; Margie Napoli Morgan wrote. &ldquo; She was a friend and like an aunt to my kids.&rdquo;
				&ldquo;Mary was such a beautiful soul,&rdquo; Trudy Gerchak Clemson wrote. &ldquo;She was always there for anyone who needed her.&rdquo;
				&ldquo;Such a wonderful woman,&rdquo; Sharon Johnson wrote. &ldquo;I am sure she is at peace in the arms of the Lord she loved so much.&rdquo;
				Determined that the charismatic Mary Taylor won&rsquo;t be forgotten, Kazokas, 48, of Shavertown, who worked for her for 25 years, and Kristen Bosek, 35, of Warrior Run, who laughingly refers to herself as a newcomer with &ldquo;only&rdquo; 19 years, have decided to continue styling hair at the 2308 Sans Souci Parkway location in Hanover Township.
				Where passing motorists are used to seeing a sign identifying Mary Taylor&rsquo;s Hair and Skin Care, they will soon see a sign identifying the place as The Shop Hair Studio.
				&ldquo;Mary was always saying &lsquo;Are you going to the shop?&rsquo; or &lsquo;Meet you at the shop,&rsquo; &rdquo; Kazokas said, explaining how the new name reminds them of her.
				Mary Taylor had established several locations of Mary Taylor&rsquo;s Hair and Skin Care Centers, and for years she had visited each location on a different day of the week. At the end she had three locations &mdash; in Hanover Township, Kingston and Mountain Top.
				Maintaining the Sans Souci location as a salon is something Taylor would have wanted, Bozek said, reminiscing about the relaxed atmosphere Taylor maintained there, with customers petting Taylor&rsquo;s little pet dog and interacting with Bozek&rsquo;s son, who accompanied her to work years ago, when he was very young. &ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t afford day care and Mary said it was OK.&rdquo;
				Kazokas and Bozek said they&rsquo;ll always remember Taylor&rsquo;s genuine caring and strong work ethic, along with her warm chuckle and witty remarks.
				&ldquo;She was so good to work with,&rdquo; Bozek said.
				&ldquo;She made you feel like it was your own business,&rdquo; Kazokas said.
				After working with Taylor for so many years, Kazokas added, &ldquo;We can&rsquo;t imagine working anywhere else.&rdquo;

‘We can’t imagine working anywhere else’