Obituary of John Philip Taylor

John Philip Taylor died August 13, 2016 surrounded by family in Ben Lomond, CA. John was born December 25, 1935 in Elgin, IL, to Lester and Ruth (Rockenbach) Taylor and was raised in Crystal Lake, IL. In 1958, he married Mary Harrington of Oshkosh, WI. Their marriage lasted until Mary's death in 2005. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, with a BS in Electrical Engineering in 1960. During his forty year career in the telephone industry he worked with General Telephone of Wisconsin, AT&T's SAGE program, GTE's Automatic Electric, Siemens, RayNet and Ericsson. He returned to University of Wisconsin periodically to teach a continuing education course about the telephone industry. John was a loving, warm and energetic father to Michael Taylor, Kathy Sheridan and Diane Taylor. He enjoyed sports playing basketball and golf and had a lifelong interest in trains. An avid outdoorsman, John led the family to many fun experiences on camping trips around the country. He also led friends and family on memorable hikes to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. He volunteered countless hours with Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and was an active member of various churches throughout his life, adding his voice to each church choir. In 2011 John met Phyllis Arzate sharing life, family and travel. They were married in April 2016 in Boulder Creek, CA. In both marriages, John was a devoted spouse and felt a strong attachment to his spouse's family. John is survived by Phyllis, his children, his grandchildren, and his sisters Susan Nelson and Virginia Clarke. In addition to his first wife and his parents, he was predeceased by his brother Seth Taylor. Donations in John's memory may be made to the American Cancer Society.