LTG (Ret) Pete Taylor

Lieutenant General (Ret.) H. G. ‘Pete’ Taylor, a dedicated patriot, community leader, and father, died peacefully on November 4, 2024, at the age of 86.

Pete was born in Lascassas, Tennessee on December 3, 1937. The son of a sharecropper in rural Tennessee during the Great Depression, Pete learned the value of faith, family, and hard work at a young age. As captain of the high school basketball team, he developed an aptitude for leadership and joined the Middle Tennessee State University ROTC program in hopes of one day becoming a high school basketball coach. He excelled and became the unit commander, accepting a commission in the US Army as a Medical Service Officer in 1960.

Pete transferred to the Infantry branch as a young officer and soon met the greatest love of his life, MaryJane Louwenaar who was teaching military children in Alaska. They married and began a wonderful journey together for 37 years that included 18 moves, two tours in Vietnam, and a lifetime of deep faith, purpose, and adventure.

In his military career, Pete served two tours in Vietnam earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and Bronze Star with Valor. He commanded combat formations at every level from company to Corps culminating as the Commanding General of the III Armored Corps at Fort Hood, Texas from 1991 to 1993, where he strengthened the relationship between the Fort and this surrounding community.

Impressed with this community’s warm welcome, Pete and MaryJane retired in the Killeen area where he continued to devote his life to the service of others through his passion for youth education. In 1996, he co-founded the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) which today has vibrant chapters across the globe with over 41,000 members. In 1996, he worked with the leadership at Fort Hood and Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to establish a permanent four-year campus at Texas A&M – Central Texas. He also founded of the Heart of Texas Defense Alliance to advocate for soldiers and their families in this region.

Pete was awarded the Frank Mayborn Humanitarian Award and the Book of Golden Deeds by the Texas Legislature for decades of public service. He is also a recipient of the Jefferson Award, the Nation’s highest award for public service. Most recently he was named an honorary alumni of Texas A&M - Central Texas.

Beyond his many community achievements, Pete will be remembered most by his family as a loving father who adored his six grandchildren. Across Central Texas, he will be remembered as a man of impeccable character who had a deep passion for soldiers, their children, and the youth in this community.

Pete is preceded in death by his beloved wife, MaryJane, in 2000. Pete is survived by his sister, Mary Shaw; his children, Kay Newman (Bob), Scott Taylor (Susan), Curt Taylor (Jennifer); and six grandchildren : Joe, Rachel (Peter), Courtney (Michael), Matthew, Natalie, and Meredith (Carter).

A celebration of Pete’s life will be held at Lifeway Fellowship in Killeen at 10 AM on Saturday, 16 November with a private graveside service to follow at Live Oak Cemetery in Youngsport. Visitation will be 6-8 PM at Crawford and Bowers Funeral Home in Killeen on 15 November. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to MCEC at www.militarychild.org in his honor. The family deeply appreciates the love and support this community and friends have shown.