Taylor was born July 6, 1927 in Selma, Ala., and he was preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Betty Jean Taylor.
“He lived a great life,” his daughter Jackie Taylor told the Dayton Daily News.
Taylor’s obituary tells the tale of an active 97 years .
A former NASA project manager, Air Force officer and veteran of three wars, the obit says: “His most enjoyable assignment was the American embassy in Rome, Italy. He and Betty-Jean married in 1961 and they traveled extensively; had dinner many evenings overlooking the Roman Coliseum, ate stuffed grape leaves within the shadow of the Acropolis, breakfasts many mornings beside the pool at the Erawan in Bangkok, enjoyed the beauties of the jungle in northeast Thailand, whipped Singapore slings at the Raffles in Singapore, experienced the thrill of visiting the Taj Mahal by full moonlight, and the many vacations at Orange Beach and Waikiki.”
He leaves behind a daughter, Jackie Taylor, and granddaughter, Cherish Lombard.
“He served his country during three wars, had his aircraft (shot) out from underneath him in the Korean conflict where the Chinese Communists took him prisoner,” the obit continues. “He was repatriated in 1953 and subsequently flew 101 combat missions in Southeast Asia (Vietnam).”
Jackie Taylor agreed that her father lived a life “rich and full.”
“If he was faced with something that looked like danger, he took a pretty cool, calm approach to it, and looked at it from a very rational standpoint,” she said.
While on active duty, Taylor wore ribbons representing 26 awards, including the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal and the Purple Heart, the obit said.
“Once he retired, he did extensive traveling, he and his wife,” Jackie Taylor said. “But being in the military, of course, you travel all over place — Italy, Southeast Asia, all around.”
“He loved champagne,” she added with a laugh. “Any opportunity to have champagne, he was all for it.”
Taylor received an undergraduate engineering degree from Auburn University, a master’s degree in engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson and an MBA from Wright State University, according to the obit.
As a career military officer, he served 30 years before his retirement in 1974. He retired as a colonel, his daugther said, having served at Wright-Patterson “for quite a while.”
His career included being a project manager of the Atlas Space Booster launch platforms at Cape Canaveral.
He was also an usher at Chapel 1, Wright-Patterson.
“As a Christian, he enjoyed a very full life and had no regrets in leaving it for a better place,” the obit says.
Graveside service with military honors will take place 2 p.m. Friday at David’s Cemetery, 4600 Mad River Road, Kettering.
Condolences may be sent to www.tobiasfuneralhome.com
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