Christopher Willard Taylor

A celebration of life honoring Chris will be held in Kansas City, Kansas, in May 2026. Details will be shared at a later date.

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, on October 26, 1969, to Brian E. Taylor and LuAnn (Dover) Taylor, Chris seemed destined from an early age for a life connected with the stage. He attended St. Peter’s Grade School and Sumner Academy of Arts & Science in Kansas City, Kansas, where he honed his theatrical and oratory talents, earning national recognition in both and forming friendships that would last a lifetime.

In 1987, his mom and brothers relocated to Gaithersburg, Maryland. Chris graduated from Seneca Valley High School in 1988 and continued on to The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he studied theater on scholarship. He later trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City before moving to Los Angeles, where he joined the prestigious improv and sketch comedy troupe, The Groundlings. His work there reflected his hallmark traits—creativity, quick wit, and a fearless joy for collaboration.

Chris spent his professional life both in the spotlight and behind the scenes. After beginning his career in New York and Los Angeles under the stage name Chris Dover, he eventually settled in Dallas, Texas, in 2002. There, he became a beloved presence on community theater stages and built a successful career in advertising production, where his humor, imagination, and impeccable timing shone through in everything he did.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Chris was known as the funniest person in the room—often without trying. He was a gifted guitar player, an avid music lover, a lifelong KU Jayhawks and Kansas City Chiefs fan, and a fearless fantasy football instigator.

Chris always had an amazing support team— even when his health started to fail. His wife, Jenn, whom he met in 2012, and his daughter, Caroline. Together, they were there for every doctor’s appointment, test, and hospital stay. Jenn and Chris were always deeply devoted, loving, and supportive to each other, enduring the best and worst of times, and Jenn is still arguably the best stepmom in the world. For Chris, the proudest of fathers, Caroline was the center of his world, and his love for her was constant, wholehearted, and unwavering. Above all, Chris cherished his family, friends, and the chosen family of people who stood by him.

Chris is survived by his wife, Jennifer, and his daughter, Caroline; his mother, LuAnn (Robert) Davis; his siblings, Matthew (Ascha) Taylor, David (Sarah) Taylor, and Paige (Brian) Williams. He is also remembered with deep love by his great friend and cousin, J.R. Dover; his extended family of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews; as well as Jenn's family, Miriam, Jude, Charles, Liz, and Erin; and his best-of-friends, Chris Giamalvo, Frank Roschitz, Mark Hennesy, and Zach Rockhill, who became his chosen family.