A funeral service for Kenneth Eugene Taylor, 90, will be held at 2:00 P.M. Thursday, July 12, 2012 at the Christ Episcopal Church in Douglas, Wyoming with Amy Sonesen officiating. Interment will be in the Douglas Park Cemetery with military honors accorded by Samuel Mares American Legion Post #8 and Wyoming Army National Guard Military Funeral Honors.
Kenneth Taylor died Saturday, July 7, 2012 at the Memorial Hospital of Converse County in Douglas surrounded by his family.
He was the son of Raymond Rutho and Laura (Vollman) Taylor born on a farm nine miles north of Holdrege, Nebraska on June 18, 1922.
The first two years of his life were spent in Holdrege and after his sister, Iola, was born in 1924 they moved to Wyoming spending the first few years working in Glenrock while they were proving up on the homestead they had filed for. By the time they moved to the homestead a brother, Darryl, had been born. All the children attended a country school until they were ready for high school. Kenneth boarded with the County Superintendent of Schools, Maude Dawes, and he would drive her around to the various country schools in in order to earn his room and board.
Kenneth was a family man, rancher, hunter, and outdoors-man.
He spent his life in the ranching world either working for others or in later years for himself. After completing high school he broke horses for Joe Reynolds up to the time he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1944. He spent two years in the Pacific being prepared to invade Japan as an amphibian tracker operator. The atomic bomb was dropped and he always felt that his life was probably spared because of that.
Shortly after his discharge in 1946 he and Dorothy Leman were married and they had five children. Dorothy always says what her Grandmother Bessie Leman told her one time, “I got it started and I don’t know how to shut it off”.
When it came to ranching for himself Hereford cattle and Rambouilet sheep were his passions. Never say cattle and sheep can’t be worked together. He often hired young men just out of high school. He put them on a bale pile and it often encouraged them to go on to college, because that was not work they wanted to do for a life time.
He was a 4-H leader for a few years and also a Republican Committeeman. He belonged to the Farm Bureau and off and on to the Moose Lodge #602.
He enjoyed visiting with anyone and could strike up a story telling session at the drop of a hat.
As a family man he would drive his niece, daughter, and their cheerleading friends all over the state to wherever they needed to be. It was never too far nor the weather too tough, and often traveling in snow covered highways and by ways. This was at a time when parents took turns to get those girls on the job, Heaven forbid that they rode the bus with the boys.
He was an avid sports fan for football and basketball never wanting to miss a game. High school wrestling became the greatest of all when his sons and grandsons were involved. He never missed a match, sometimes getting over enthusiastic and he would come close to being asked to leave the room.
Camping and hunting were big in the family. For over 18 years he hunted moose in the Pinedale country always being able to draw a license. Probably the biggest thrill for him was in 1952 when he and his buddy, Vic Nachtman, went sheep hunting and he shot the largest big horn sheep ever killed in the state of Wyoming at that time.
In later years when he was not able to attend so many of the games he settled for the TV.
He is survived by his wife, Dorothy, of Douglas; children, Kenny (Lynda) Taylor of Douglas, Linda (Howard) Konken of Cheyenne, Wyoming, Dennis (Lucile) Taylor of Douglas, Frank (Veronica) Taylor of Gillette, Wyoming, and Lois (Chris) Young of Douglas; sister, Iola Pile of Casper, Wyoming; 13 grandchildren; 22 great grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his father, on November 8, 1967; mother, Laura, on May 14, 1968; an infant brother, LaMoine Quenton Taylor, and a brother, Darryl “Tuffy” Taylor.
Serving as pallbearers will be Kevin Taylor, Jeff Taylor, Paul Taylor, Rob Dressel, Brent Dressel, Jeff Wilcox, Kenton Taylor, Dennis Taylor, and Grant Gerk.
A memorial to the Ranchers’ Memorial Scholarship Fund in care of the Converse County Bank, P.O. Box 689, Douglas, Wyoming 82633 would be appreciated by the family.
Family and friends may call at the funeral home on Wednesday from 10:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M.
The Gorman Funeral Homes – Converse Chapel of Douglas is in charge of the arrangements.
Condolences may be sent to the family at gormanfh.com
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