Douglas Leslie Taylor

Douglas Leslie Taylor, 69, of Omaha, NE, was found passed away at home on January 29, 2021. He was preceded in death by his wife of 42 years, Nancy, and his mother, Mildred. He is survived by his daughter, Lauren, with her husband Ryan Edwards and granddaughter Sylvie; his father, Vance Taylor; his brother, Dean Taylor and nephews Garrett and Craig; and two devoted dogs, Chyna and Neeko.

He was born in Omaha, Nebraska on April 7, 1951 and graduated from North High School. From an early age, he distinguished himself for his superior mind, as a Who's Who Nationwide for High School Seniors and having attended a national science program and playing multiple instruments. He spent two years at the University of Chicago, where in an effort to avoid athletics, he started fencing and within a few months was in the fencing national tournament at Notre Dame. After deciding to change his studies from chemistry to accounting, he transferred to Nebraska Wesleyan University. There, the handsome Doug, with a Beetles haircut and mustache, met the woman who would become his wife and lifelong sweetheart, Nancy.

After graduation, they moved to Omaha where Nancy's sense of style and Doug's strict budgeting took them to garage sales and appreciation of the unparalleled craftsmanship of the antique furniture they found there. Together, they found a Queen Anne Victorian home of similar character, which they bought in the 1970s and lived in until they died. They lovingly restored each room while strengthening their partnership in the face of strong opinions and stubborn wills (when wallpapering, they made a rule that they could only have one fight per wall). Their beautiful home was a marvel of Victorian design, which received a Preservation Award from Landmark Inc. in 1985, and yet it still provided a comfortable home for their family (they even let their daughter roller skate inside on the hard wood floors). To read more about their incredible home, you can reference the blog "My Omaha Obsession," and search for his address.

Doug worked for Omaha National Bank as an internal auditor, before transitioning to Pacesetter, where he was the head internal auditor and traveled the country. After that, he worked at Omaha Public Schools for 24 years before retiring in July of 2020. His job evolved from internal auditor to financial software analyst, utilizing his superior analytical abilities flexibly. At retirement, his co-workers remarked on his capable mind, and his kindness and integrity. He also continued to do taxes as a service in the community and for private clients.

In 1986, Doug and Nancy adopted their daughter, Lauren, who still idolizes her heroic and loving father to this day. Doug was a constant support for his daughter and always made her feel safe. He would listen and hold her while she cried through teenage drama, volunteer for her swim meets, and read books to her every night while growing up. He and Nancy made sure that she had every opportunity available to her. However, their family wasn't truly complete until 2013, when she married Ryan Edwards. While it's cliché to say he is the son they never had, that is certainly true in this case. Doug and Ryan shared a love of cars, travel, good scotch and cigars, shared with good company. When Nancy passed in 2017, Ryan's family adopted Doug as their own. Tim, Linda, Meradeth, and Ben Edwards welcomed him to every holiday, family gathering, Husker tailgate, and provided love and care through the good and the bad. In 2018, Doug became a grandfather to Sylvie Christine, which he said is one of the highlights of his life.

Anyone who knew Doug knew that he had a depth of character, with kindness, loyalty, and integrity that is uncommon. He was quiet, but loved to laugh and showed his love by caring for others. He remained best friends with his high school and college friends throughout his life, going on many adventures (and getting into shenanigans) to the end. He loved cars and Formula 1 racing, and road tripped with friends nearly every year to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for races. In 2016, he went on a bucket list trip to Monte Carlo to see the Grand Prix, getting tickets in casino square with his daughter and son-in-law.

He weathered a lot of storms in his final decade: achieving complete remission of metastatic melanoma, recovering from a broken neck, then a broken leg, and enduring death of his beloved wife. When he was asked recently about what wisdom he would want to pass to future generations, he shared the following: "Be resilient...Things always get better. The point you may be at is kind of crappy, but if you work at it, you can make things better."

Due to the pandemic, a celebration of life will be deferred until it can be done safely with all of those who knew and loved him. There will be a viewing and burial the week of February 1st for close friends and family. He will be interred with the ashes of his wife, at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery. Please contact his daughter or Westlawn-Hillcrest Funeral Home for details if you are interested.

Memorials in Doug's name can be made to the Nebraska Historical Society and Omaha Area Youth Orchestras.

For those who want to take a moment to remember Doug, listen to this song which was one of his favorites...appropriately enough: Til the Casket Drops, by ZZ Ward, whom he saw in concert with his daughter in February of 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmEdyFIi-n4&ab_channel=ZZWardVEVO