Wallace Sidney "Butch" Taylor (born Aug. 4th, 1947 - died Mar. 1st, 2021) passed away with his family by his side at age 73 after a brief battle with cancer. He was preceded in death by his: father Ralph "Buck" Taylor, uncles Dale & Paul Taylor, aunt Anne Taylor, sister Faye Basset, brother Ray Knight, and beloved cousin Billie Boss. He leaves behind his: wife of 53 years JoAnn Taylor, daughters Tammie Wieland (Lance), & Janelle Fernandez (Lyle), niece Janet Christensen (John), grandchildren Tia Guillan (Paul), Taylor Wieland, Logan Wieland (Lauren), Jonathan Jerry, Dieudonne Chea, & honorary Kenyan granddaughter Lucie Njeri, great-grandchildren Adeline & Brooks Guillan, great-niece Kelsey Christensen, great-nephew John "Derek” Christensen, and numerous other cousins, nieces and nephews. Wallace is also survived by his brother-in-law Duane Bedford and his brother-in-law and sister-in-law Don and Joette Bedford
Butch was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming and raised in Allenspark and Lyons, Colorado. He defied the odds of his rough and rowdy childhood to become the man we knew and loved. His love of the mountains began early in his childhood amongst the Rocky Mountains where he spent most of his time fishing, hunting, and exploring. Along his adventure through life, Butch married his high school sweetheart, JoAnn Bedford, on April 29th, 1967. He was soon thereafter drafted into the US Army to fight in the Vietnam War. He reported to and trained at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, but was not deployed to Vietnam due to health concerns. With the US Army giving him a medical discharge, he returned home to his family in Colorado. He and JoAnn continued to build a life and eventually had their daughters, which they raised in Longmont and then Fort Lupton, CO.
Butch was a jack of all trades but worked mostly in quickly growing high-tech industry. He started out assembling computer drives in the early 70’s at Ball Brothers and eventually retired as a Logistics Manager for Seagate, a large computer drive manufacturer. Through his work, leisure, and church missions, he traveled the world, including: Taiwan, Thailand, Kenya, Puerto Rico, Ireland, France, England, and lots of tropical locations. Butch was always one to serve and help, mostly by volunteering in his younger years as an EMT with Tri Area Ambulance Service, a Reserve Officer for the Fort Lupton Police Department, and a Dive/Swift-water/Extrication/Technical Rescuer with the Longmont Emergency Unit. Capping off his later service through mission work in Kenya and as an active member within his churches Refugee Resettlement ministry.
Butch is remembered by his family and friends as a loving husband, father, uncle, cousin, grandfather, and great-grandfather. But also as a renowned photographer, an avid fly fisherman, a scuba diver, and a rugged adventurer. He shared many of his adventures with his family, but especially his son-in-laws Lance and Lyle. Butch and Lance were partners on the Tri Area Ambulance Service, Longmont Emergency Unit, and dive buddies, but all of them were fellow ski bums. He also shared many great times and adventures with his best friend of over 47 years, Dennis Burns, including climbing Longs Peak with Lyle.
Butch’s ornery disposition was just one of the things that kept him going through life, and his upbringing served as a reminder of how hard life can get and always kept him in awe and appreciation of all the good times he had. While on Earth, he passed along much of his wisdom, love of family time, zest for life, reverence for nature, and his life story to everyone he met. He truly enjoyed the company of his family and his pets, the great outdoors, a good book with a cup of coffee, a drive to the mountains to take pictures, a good review of the Bible, and endless conversations with his life-long friend Denis Burns and coffee shop pals. He will be missed by all, but there is comfort in knowing he is resting in his eternal home among the heavens with his family, friends, and his Lord and Savior.
A memorial service is to be held on Friday March 12th, 2021 at 11:00 am, in the sanctuary of the First United Methodist Church located at 420 N Nevada Ave, Colorado Springs, CO. Masks and social distancing will be mandatory at the service, and there will not be any greeting time after the service. If you wish to send your condolences or a word to the family, please email us at: [email protected]. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Solo Parent Society, America's Vet Dog, or the Pikes Peak Hospice in his memory.
