George Thomas (“Tom”) Taylor Jr., 73, of Richmond, VA, passed away on Saturday, May 4, 2019 after a courageous 10-year battle with Alzheimer’s. He was born on December 20, 1945, to George Thomas Taylor and Mildred Taylor of Richmond.
Tom attended Douglas Freeman High School in Richmond, where he met his future wife, Kathy. They started out as friends, often attending local minor league baseball games together. (“I can’t believe a girl likes baseball!” Tom exclaimed to his friends.) Although they began dating, she turned his offer down to go steady, but then his charm and humor eventually won her over. They wed in April 1969, whereupon Tom joined the U.S. Army Reserves and served for seven years while pursuing a career in academia.
Tom attended the University of Virginia where he received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, and then went on to earn his PhD at the University of Colorado.
With the proud title of Dr. Taylor, Tom and Kathy moved to Maine and raised their three children. Tom embarked on an impressive 42 years of service as a Professor at the University of Maine. He loved his work and took great pride in serving as Chair for two departments (Political Science and Public Administration). He played a pivotal role in founding the Department of Public Administration and loved seeing it grow under his stewardship.
Tom had a passion for politics and was a teacher and mentor to many future city managers. As an internationally known scholar of state and local government, he published many books and dozens of peer-reviewed journal articles. Putting theory into practice, he served as a longtime member of the Planning Board for the Town of Orono, Maine. He was also an active member of the Orono United Methodist Church, serving as a Pastor-Parish Committee member for many years.
Tom loved mentoring his three children in their pursuit of academics and sports. Many afternoons were spent playing sports with them, coaching their teams to victory (he was proudly undefeated some seasons!), and taking them to competitions. He was an avid sports fan, attending UMaine sporting events religiously and seldom missing a Red Sox and Celtics broadcast (well before Boston teams were any good – he was not a fairweather fan!).
Tom was also known for his love of animals, his dry sense of humor, and ability to deliver surprisingly clever one-liners. On any given evening, you might have found him dancing or playing the harmonica to the tunes of artists as diverse as Elvis, Ray Charles, and Lady Antebellum.
Tom is survived by his loving wife, Katherine White Taylor of Richmond, VA. They celebrated their 50th Anniversary one week before his passing. He is also survived by his son, Travis K. Taylor, his daughter-in-law, Sunny Hong-Taylor, and his granddaughter Nari S. Taylor, of Seaford, VA; his daughter Amy P. Taylor of Richmond, VA; his daughter Sarah Taylor Beers, and his son-in-law Clayborne Beers of Houston, TX. He is also survived by his sister, Carolyn Taylor Leininger and his brother-in-law, Michael Leininger, of Midlothian, VA.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, May 10th at 2:00 pm at Woody Funeral Home – Parham Chapel, 1771 North Parham Road, Richmond, VA. In lieu of flowers, donations in his name may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org/grva/donate) or Circle Center Adult Day Services, located at 4900 W Marshall St, Richmond, VA, 23230 (https://circlecenterva.org/).
