OBITUARY: Jerry Don Taylor

Jerry Don Taylor passed away in Udall, on Sept. 27, at the age of 89. Jerry was born in Wichita, to Delbert and Mary Taylor. He is survived by his loving wife and best friend of 68 years, Marjorie and their sons, Jake of Tulsa, Okla., Deb of Wichita, and their respec- tive spouses Tommie and Leah, who he always treated and thought of as daughters of his own. Grandchildren Lacy Johns of Blackwell, Okla., (hus- band Cory Johns) and Israel Taylor of Wichita, brought great joy to his life and he to theirs.

Jerry was employed by the USDA as an FSIS food inspector for 44 years. He had several duty stations, all in the state of Kansas. He and Marge lived in Halstead, Dodge City and Wamego for about 10 years each before finally settling in Udall. Upon retirement, he was recognized for his 44 years of dedicated service to the department.

As a young man, Jerry was attracted to the sport of rodeo. He competed as a bareback rider and steer wrestler with some success
for a few years, but was looking for something more stable in the sport. Jerry took up announcing rodeos and became a prominent announcer in the Midwest for many years. He was celebrated for being the voice of the Benjamin Stables Rodeo in Kansas City for 40 consecu- tive years, chosen to announce the PRCA Prairie Circuit Finals in Guthrie, Okla., and was a gold card member of the PRCA. His greatest passion of all in rodeo, however, was doing whatever was needed to support Marge, as she was a competitive barrel racer for over 50 years. He would do whatever he could for Marge, from training horses, to driving, to just offering encouragement. Jerry was her biggest fan. Jerry had an unwavering Christian faith, which guided his life and principles. Jerry’s faith was felt by all who knew him, whether it was through a prayer before Thanksgiving dinner, or just reaching out a hand to a friend. The way Jerry lived his life and the way he treated others was an example of his Christian faith. Jerry said that the greatest success a man can have on earth is bringing another to Jesus.

Jerry was very proud of his Cherokee heritage.

He was a card-carrying member of the Cherokee tribe for many years and he loved to read about the history and heritage of the Cherokee Nation throughout his life.

After retirement, Jerry enjoyed learning Cherokee words and sayings and he would say them to us and then give us their meaning.

As we celebrate his long life lived to the fullest, we are reminded that he told us, “There is no word for goodbye in the Cherokee language”. Donadagohvi — “Until we meet again.”

Donations can be made in Jerry’s memory to the Justincowboycrisisfund.org or 1st Baptist Church of Udall, 207 East Lewis Street, Udall, Kan., 67146.

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