Wilkerson Calvin "W.C." Taylor was born in Dallas, Texas on April 21, 1927 to Sam and John Louise Taylor. He had two older brothers, Richard Albert Taylor and Jonathan Hardwick Taylor. W.C. was raised in Dallas. When he was 5 years old, W.C. was hit by a car, injuring his right leg. It was thought, at that time, that he would never walk again. At the age of 10, he took the transmission out of his uncle’s truck, found a bad gear, replaced the gear, and put the transmission back together, fixing the truck. He attended Thompson Grade School in Dallas and graduated from Lincoln High School in 1944 at the age of 17.
With the help of his mother (changed date of birth), W.C. joined the Army/Air Force at the age of 17 (1945). He was trained as Military Policeman. W.C.’s military duty was in the South Pacific, clearing islands for Occupational Forces. While in the service, W.C. learned to box. He trained extensively to qualify for the 1948 Olympics for the U.S.A. W.C. boxed as a light-heavyweight. He won the following awards in boxing: the Harmon Field Championship, the Marianna Championship, the Philippines Golden Gloves and the Geifu Invitational. W.C. lost a match in the semi-finals of the Olympic qualifier in Hawaii to Goodall. Goodall lost to Satterfield, who went on to win the Gold Medal.
W.C. left the service in 1949. He used his G.I. Bill of Rights to go to the Texas State Vocational School and got his degree as a Certified Diesel Mechanic. While he was going to school, W.C. did everything from running an elevator to cleaning offices at night. After graduating with his Associates Degree, it was 10 years before he would be able to use his degree as a Diesel Mechanic. While waiting to use his degree, W.C. was a professional over-the-road driver.
W.C. eventually moved to Oklahoma. He married Nettie Joveta Gober in 1950. To that union came one daughter, Loana Taylor (born in 1960). After his sister-in-law died in childbirth in 1963, W.C. and Nettie took five nephews and nieces (Betty Ann Jarrett, Nettie Jo Jarrett, Melvin Jarrett, Ronnie Jarrett and Mark Jarrett) into their home and raised them. In 1957, W.C. bought a plot of land and took to building a home for his family. He did all of the work from foundation to roof, including plumbing and electrical.
To support his family, W.C. worked at Tinker Air Force Base as a Material Supply specialist. Upon leaving Tinker he purchased his own truck and worked for Mayflower Moving Company. After a year, he went to work for the railroad hauling grain. W.C. then drove professionally for Brawley Rents, Double Eagle Refinery and then Time D.C. Freight. While at Time D.C. Freight, W.C. was promoted to Shop Supervisor and, after 5 years, became Shop Superintendent. He was finally using his degree. When Time D.C. went out of business, W.C. went to work for Fleming Foods Company as Shop Manager. He retired from Fleming in 1994. W.C. was never fired from a job and was never out of work for very long before attaining another job.
W.C. had many interests throughout his life. He built his own street race car, "Underdog", and was a well-known drag car racer. Later, he stepped into the professional race car circuit choosing to drive a Buick, which he named "Superdog". W.C. built and customized the engine to his exacting standards to get the maximum speed. He was a regular competitor at the Noble Race track, Tulsa Race Track and Dallas, Texas RaceTrack. After many years doing both the mechanical work and the driving, W.C. eventually took on a partner, Jerry Chambers, to do the driving so he could focus solely on the mechanics. The team went to Bowling Green, Kentucky yearly to race in the Buick Nationals. After several close finishes, the team won the Buick Nationals in 1996, beating all of the professional teams.
W.C. also enjoyed sports and played in a couple of different senior softball leagues, including a coed league, and was an excellent senior bowler. He was very active throughout his lifetime, always achieving to be the best.
W.C. was preceded in death by his parents, Sam and John Louise Taylor; brothers, Richard Albert Taylor and Johnathan Hardwick Taylor; niece, Betty Ann Liggens; and granddaughter, Natalie Mishelle Roberts.
W.C. is survived by his wife of 34 years, Jeri Louise Taylor; daughter, Loana Crawford; nephews: Lawerence Jarret (wife Carolyn), Frank Jarrett Jr. (companion Susie), Melvin Jarrett, Ronnie Jarrett (wife Hazel), and Mark Jarrett (wife Diann); nieces, Nettie Jo Robinson (husband Randy) and Myria Higgs-Jarrett; 17 grandchildren: Loana Littleton, Artisha Renee (Crawford) Farro, Sarah Parker, Christopher Parker, Morgan Lane, Alyson (Lane) Wyatt, Lauren (Lane) Thapa, Kristin (Lane) Humphreys, Michael Lane, Joel Lane, Kyle Lane, Conner Lane, Thomas Lane, Josi Lane, Rayshia Roberts, Noah Roberts and Isabella Roberts; 13 great-grandchildren: Ava Farro, Josiah Farro, Stanson Wyatt, Betty Jo Wyatt, George Wyatt, Buck Wyatt, Gladys Wyatt, Elsi Wyatt, Scott Humphreys, Sam Humphreys, Ruthie Humphreys, Lydia Humphreys, and Hattie Humphreys; and many other family members and friends.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that a donation be made to cancer research in W.C.’s name.
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