Ross was born in London Mills, IL on Dec. 6, 1919, the son of Nellie Mae and Guy Clifford Taylor. Growing up in Peoria, he would recant stories of swimming in the Illinois river, chasing a trolley, or the collapse of the Hiram Walker distillery. In his late teens, he worked in various states for the Civilian Conservation Corps camps. In 1941, he joined the United States Marine Corps and served in the Pacific on Guadalcanal and Samoa. He was honorably discharged in Oct. of 1945. On leave he married Doris Lee Russell in 1944 and they raised five sons in a Christian home. They both helped out at the South Side Mission as Sunday school teachers or counselors at Camp Kearney. Ross loved carving turkeys on Thanksgiving to be distributed with meals to needy families.
Doris went to Heaven on June 3, 1969. Ross was also preceded in death by his parents, 11 brothers and sisters and one grandson, Jacob.
He joined Caterpillar in 1952 and worked on the transmission line for 28 years before retiring in 1980. He remarried in 1980 to Margaret O. Nelson where they helped shape the lives of numerous children from the Taylor and Nelson families. Margaret went to Heaven on July 26, 2015.
Surviving are sons David (Mary) of Crossville, TN, Timothy (Jeri) of Peoria, Paul (Patti) of Peoria Heights, Steven and Kenneth (Pam) of Bartonville, and Edward (Joy), David (Denise), and Ellen (Ken) Gihring from the Nelson family plus numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren. One brother-in-law, Cecil Russell, of Canton also survives.
A private graveside ceremony was held at Parkview Cemetery in Peoria. Davison-Fulton Woodland Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the South Side Mission of Peoria.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18