James Ernest Taylor, 88, of The Woodlands, Texas went to be with our Lord March 4, 2019. He was born June 18, 1930 in Houston, Texas to Ernest Eastman & Mildred Lee Taylor. At age 16, his dad, a master machinist, began apprenticing James at his business, Taylor Bolt and Machine Shop where James enjoyed learning machining skills. He began his college education at the University of Houston before being drafted into the United States Army during the Korean War. He served in the military police in Okinawa, Japan for two years before he was honorably discharged in 1953. He was then called to the Ministry and completed his college education in religious studies at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, followed by obtaining his Masters in Religious Education and Music at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He served as Minister of Education and Music at several churches in Oklahoma and Texas before he followed the Lord’s call into Pastoral Ministry. He served as music minister and then Pastor of East Houston Baptist Church for 26 years before “retiring” to Cove, Arkansas and serving as Pastor at First Baptist Church of Grannis, AR for 5 years. He returned to Houston in 1997 where he continued serving in church ministries at Champion Forest Baptist Church. James will be remembered for his kind and gracious treatment of everyone he met as well as his willingness to share wisdom or advice whenever anyone asked. In his spare time, he enjoyed woodworking, gardening, fishing and spending time with his family. James was preceded in death by his parents, Ernest Eastman and Mildred Lee Taylor, brothers Charles and Ronald Taylor, first wife Jerrye Wanona Taylor and second wife, Helen Adair Taylor. He will be lovingly remembered by his sister, Madge Cowling of Lorena, TX; children, Joanna Carver (Steve) of Wimberly, Tx; Karen Taylor of Montgomery, Tx; Jeanne Carter (Billy) of College Station, TX; Jennifer Fore (Larry) of Tyler, TX; Cynthia Bell (Tommy) of Spring, TX; grandchildren: Callie Gerke, Matthew Wakefield, Clay Carter, Foster Carter, Grant Carter(Anne Michal), Jackson Carter, Shelby Fore(Karson), Morgan Fore, Randall Bell (Victoria), Jerrye Bell, Timothy Bell; great-grandchildren: Jason Bell, Travis Bell and David Bell; as well as many more family and friends.
Visitation will be 5:00pm – 8:00pm Friday, March 8, 2019 at Brookside Funeral Home (US 59); Celebration of Life service will be at 10:30am Saturday at Brookside Funeral Home, followed by interment.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.brooksidefuneralhomelauder.com for the Taylor family.
