The family will receive friends Friday, May 24, at Westminster Gardens (Greensboro) in the Mausoleum, beginning at 11:00 am. A brief reflection time will follow at noon, also in the Mausoleum.
Otis was born January 17, 1934, in Blackshear, GA, the son of Wilton DeWitt Taylor and Helen Mae Lord Taylor. He quit school at an early age to work crops such as peaches and oranges in order to help support his family. He and a brother moved to Greensboro, NC where his parents later followed. Their new home was across the street from Sylvia Anne Saunders, with whom Otis fell in love and married in 1956. He worked in textiles, insurance, and apartment maintenance. Otis had a natural ability to repair almost anything. He and Sylvia shared a hard-work ethic and the ability to stretch a single-family income. They loved to visit new places and instilled that sense of travel and wonder to their children.
Otis and Sylvia were a team in every sense of the word for 67 years. Otis’ 17+ year battle with Alzheimer’s proved to be challenging and difficult. Sylvia’s passing on January 4 of this year physically separated them, but their Souls were forever connected. His children take great joy in knowing that Otis has reunited with his lifetime companion. We imagine Sylvia shining a light and clearing a path in the fog to help Otis find his way so that he is no longer lost in the world of a crippling disease.
Those left to cherish his memory include daughters Dianne Turner of Pleasant Garden and Deb Taylor of Topeka, Kansas; sons Stephen Taylor and Chris Taylor, both of Pompano Beach, Florida; brother Marvin Taylor of Greensboro; sisters Katherine Gillespie (Beverly) and Margie Falls (Winfred), both of Greensboro; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his loving wife, parents, and his brothers Wilbur Taylor and Robert Taylor.
Instead of flowers, please consider making donations to the Alzheimer’s Association at alz.org. Online condolences may be made at www.haneslineberryfhnorthelm.com.
