William Howard Taylor

William “Bill” Howard Taylor, age 74, died Friday, November 13, 2015 at Banner Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. He was born in Ventura, California on October 25, 1941 to Marvin and Helen (Knott) Taylor. Bill is survived by his son Tim; daughter-in-law Alicia; granddaughter Juliana; sister Nancy Colson; nephew Scott Newell; niece Samantha Arkelian; aunt Marian Witkowski; stepbrothers Sam and Charlie Appel; and many beloved friends and relatives.

After graduating from Dorsey High School in 1959, Bill served three years in the United States Army. He then founded the William H. Taylor Company, or “TayCo”, a manufacturer of innovative high performance parts for Volkswagen motors. Bill sold the business to Dee Engineering in the mid 80’s and became its Vice President of Sales until his retirement in 2006. He also founded the Pro Racing Association in 1988 and worked tirelessly as its president until 2005. Even in retirement, Bill remained active in the sport and worked as Race Director for Bug-O-Rama through the end of the 2015 season. He is a member of the Pro Racing Association Hall of Fame.

Bill was also a loving husband and father. He married Mary Etta Ward, whom he met while stationed in Germany, in 1967. Their son Tim was born in 1974. Bill was a Christian and served as a deacon at Westchester Assembly of God Church for two decades. He also served on the board of Westchester Little League for several years while Tim played there. Although Bill and Mary Etta eventually divorced, they remained close friends for the rest of his life, and she was at his bedside when he passed away along with other loved ones.

A memorial service will be held for Bill on November 28, 2015 at 11:30am at Sunland Memorial Park Mortuary in Sun City, Arizona. A separate memorial will be held in Los Angeles on December 12 from 11:00am to 2:00pm at Proud Bird Restaurant near LAX. Contact Timothy Taylor at (310) 946-9591 or [email protected] for details.