Gilford Dudley Taylor III went home to be with the Lord on June 7, 2023. He was born September 22, 1943 in Memphis, Tennessee to parents Captain Gilford Dudley Taylor II (“G.D.”) and Frances Dulaney Taylor. After Dudley’s father, a United States Marine Corps pilot in WWII, went missing in action in the Solomon Islands one month before Dudley’s birth, Dudley was blessed to be raised by his adoring mother and an extended family of loving grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins in Arkansas.
Dudley attended Hall High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he was an all-star basketball player often referred to as “Studley Dudley”, graduating in 1961. He then traveled south to Waco, Texas to attend Baylor University, where he was a beloved member of the Tryon Coterie fraternity (later affiliated with Phi Delta Theta) and became a devoted, lifelong Baylor sports fan. He graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1965.
While at Baylor, he met the love of his life, Charlotte Presley. They married on March 28, 1964 and, after graduating from Baylor, moved to Dallas to raise their children, daughter Amy Catherine Taylor Davis and son Gilford Dudley Taylor IV.
Dudley started his career with Southwestern Life Insurance Company in Dallas and later worked for Campbell Taggart Inc. In 1983, Dudley was hired by B.C. Williams Bakery Services Inc., where he loved working for the Williams family and with an amazing team for over 40 years.
Dudley was the ultimate southern gentleman, forever a loyal friend and confidant, and always the life of the party. He was loved by friends of all ages for his infectious personality, his joie de vivre, and his ability to connect deeply with you through his genuine and loving spirit. Throughout his life, Dudley took much joy in serving others and had a deep love for his Lord and Savior. At Park Cities Baptist Church, he was a Royal Ambassadors leader, youth Sunday School director, and adult Sunday School leader with his wife, Charlotte.
Dudley was deeply devoted to his family. He enjoyed travelling with Charlotte to all corners of the world, always taking time to enjoy the sunset while reflecting on their beautiful life together. He was involved in all his children’s activities, including coaching Park Cities YMCA football, basketball, and soccer, as well as church basketball for both Amy and Gil. He was known for both his artistic ability and discerning taste as well as his athletic ability and outdoorsmanship, the latter of which was greatly admired and appreciated while he was a YMCA Indian Guides and Princesses father for his children and grandchildren. Dudley especially loved being on the water, driving the ski boat all day long for friends and family or walking on the beach for hours looking for sharks’ teeth with his grandchildren.
Following his passion for all things Baylor University, Dudley and Charlotte moved back to Waco in recent years to enjoy friends and family. He devoted time to the Baylor School of Social Work in its support of the Gil Taylor Depression Awareness Alliance that he and Charlotte founded after the loss of their son. Dudley and Charlotte attended First Baptist Church of Waco with family and friends both old and new.
Dudley was predeceased by his parents and his son, Gilford Dudley Taylor IV. He is survived by his wife, Charlotte Presley Taylor; daughter, Amy Catherine Taylor Davis, and husband Bill; daughter-in-law, Katy Taylor Jacobson, and husband Sam; grandchildren, William Price Davis, Louis Giles Horn V, Hannah Nicole Davis, Emily Jacobson, and Gilford Dudley Taylor V; as well as his dear cousin, Kittye Held Mason, and husband William; and many other family members.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that gifts be made to the Gil Taylor Memorial Endowment in Social Work at Baylor University. Donations can be sent to One Bear Place #97026, Waco, Texas 76798-7026, or made online at www.baylor.edu/give.
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