Eileen Taylor

As I sit here preparing to write this piece for the memorial, so many wonderful and precious moments are flying through my mind. Each memory is special — it’s hard to say that any one stands out above the rest. I’ll skip over some of the details of where we lived or traveled through the years and just share the moments that truly shaped our life together.

Eileen and I married quite young, and I thank God for that.

Eileen was born in Lamar, Colorado, on June 10th, 1932. After Lamar, her family moved to Kansas City, Kansas. Eileen and I went to the same high school, and the same church, but we didn’t really become sweethearts until one special day.

We were leaving church, and two of Eileen’s girlfriends called out to me: “Hey Don — Eileen wants to ask you something!” And she did. She asked if I would take her to the Sadie Hawkins dance. I told her I’d have to check my work schedule — but once I knew I could, I said yes. We didn’t end up going to the dance, though. We went to a drive-in movie instead.

That night, we talked for hours, learning about each other — what we liked, what mattered to us — and something just clicked. From that day on, it was hard to see one of us without the other. Through the school halls, at church, or anywhere else, we were together. And that’s how we lived our lives — together in everything we could do.

Not long after we started dating, I learned that my draft number was coming up and that I’d be going into the service. I entered the Air Force on October 17th, 1950. We had talked about marriage — she was 18, I was 19 — I had already given her an engagement ring.

But being apart didn’t sit right with either of us, so before long, we decided we wanted to be together for good. On February 10th, 1951, we were married.

The wedding was supposed to be in Biloxi, Mississippi, but our base got locked down, so we moved it to a big, beautiful Baptist church right on the ocean shore in Gulfport, Mississippi. It was a small ceremony — a military chaplain officiated, four of my friends were there, and our mothers. It was simple, but it was beautiful.

From that day forward, our wonderful married life began. When we couldn’t be together, Eileen wrote me letters. I was later sent to a security school where I trained to intercept and decode enemy transmissions. Eventually, I was stationed in Berlin, Germany, during the Cold War and Korean War years.

Being apart was hard — but we were determined to make it work.

Before I left for Germany, something happened that still makes me smile and really shows how strong willed and steadfast Eileen was. We had been told that if we were still stateside by Christmas 1951, we’d remain in the U.S. for a while. But instead, we were suddenly sent to New Jersey to ship out.

Eileen was upset because we hadn’t had a chance to say goodbye properly. So — picture this — my shy, 18-year-old bride decided to travel all the way from Kansas City to New York City by herself, just to see me one last time. Her love knew no bounds, and she wasn’t going to let anything stop her. Her dad didn’t like flying, so she took the train, all by herself, never having been that far from home before.

We planned to meet at Grand Central Station and we were paging each other back and forth to no avail so everything went sideways. I wasn’t supposed to leave the base, and she couldn’t reach me. Still, she found her way to the base in New Jersey, tearful and determined. Where there is a will, there is a way and Eileen made it happen.

When I finally got word she was there, I rushed back — breaking a few rules along the way. When I walked into the orderly room, the officer of the day looked furious. But after chewing me out, he grinned and said, “I’m giving you and Eileen an overnight pass — just be back by six in the morning.” So, we had one short, sweet night together — and I made it back to my unit just in time to ship out. She made it home safely, and that moment stayed in our hearts forever.

Eileen had a spirit in her that was unlike any other. She loved with her whole entire heart, and when she was faced with a challenge, she overcame it. An example of her strength and determination was when she was working at her folks’ supermarket as a cashier she was held at gun point during a robbery. The gunman held the gun to her side, and when she realized she was able to move she was getting ready to elbow him and escape. If her dad wouldn’t have told her to just give them the money there’s no doubt she would have put up a fight.

When I came back from Berlin, we started our family — the beginning of the most joyful chapter of our lives. 1 year after I returned, our first son, Donald Lee Taylor Jr. was born on April 23, 1954. He was born in San Antonio, Texas. I was discharged from the service after 4 years, and we were given another wonderful gift, our second son, Philip Michael. He was born on April 8, 1956, in Kansas City, Missouri. Before long we were starting another part of our story together. We went into business running a very successful A&W drive in. Although it was a success, we soon realized that too much of our time was being taken away from our children. So, we made changes together, as we always did. I went back to school and got a job in the computer business. From there the other two loves of our lives were born. We had Steven Thomas, born August 22, 1957, in Emporia, Kansas and Brent Allen, born on August 9, 1960, in Kansas City, Kansas. There was absolutely nothing more important to Eileen than her family.

As the boys grew up, we stayed so busy and so involved in every aspect of their lives. We have countless memories from camping, traveling coast to coast, fishing, and everything in between. We made it a point to always stick together as a family; there were no sides in anything we did. It was all of us against the world.

Our boys went on to start their own families, and Eileen was full of joy watching everything she had instilled in her boys come to life. Although they were grown, we still stayed very close to each and every one of them. The Taylor family now has 64 beautiful members, all because Eileen and I fell in love. 8 kids, 24 grand kids, 31 great grand kids, and 1 great, great grandchild. If you were to ask her grandkids what memories are near and dear to their hearts they would tell you baking cookies, making milkshakes, the detail and love she put into every holiday. She loved hiding Easter eggs and having everyone together for Christmas. And we can’t forget about her whistle. The whistle that could be heard from miles away. The kind of whistle that when you heard it you know you better get home or pay attention.

Eileen was a firm believer and devoted follower of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, and that’s what really shaped the story of our lives together for 74 years and 9 months. Through every move, every challenge, every joy and bit of laughter we were always together.

One of my most cherished memories is how, every night as we got into bed, I’d reach out my left hand for her right, give it a gentle squeeze, and we’d say “I love you” before drifting off to sleep. That’s how we ended each day — together, just as we lived our life.

Your loving husband,

Don

Forever Loved, Forever Missed.

A funeral service will be held at Advantage Runyan Stevenson located at 6425 West Alameda Ave, Lakewood, CO 80226, on November 18, 2025, at 1:00 pm.

Following the funeral service, a committal service will take place at Olinger Crown Hill, 7777 W 29th Ave, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033, at 3:00 pm on the same day.

A reception will be held at Advantage Runyan Stevenson from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm on November 18, 2025.