Obituary of Fred Taylor

Fred Taylor, a longtime resident of Cazenovia, died peacefully at the VA Hospital in Syracuse on September 21, 2014. Fred was 96 years old. Fred was born in Chevy Chase, Maryland in 1918, the son of Edwin and Louisa Taylor. He was predeceased by his parents and by four siblings, Edwin Jr., Nelson, Donald (a New York State Assemblyman) and his twin sister Jane Taylor Eames. Fred's grandfather George Albert Taylor founded the Taylor Instrument Company. Consequently during Fred's youth the family lived in various cities in the Northeast, and spent their summers on the St. Lawrence River near Cape Vincent where Fred's grandfather had purchased substantial acreage on Millen Bay. Fred graduated from Scarsdale High School. A friend recently described Fred as "a living history book" and indeed he was a member of "the Greatest Generation", sadly now passing from the American scene. During the Depression, he left college at the University of Pennsylvania after his freshman year with a friend. They rode the rails on boxcars from New York to California and Washington State. They "wanted to see the country". During the journey, Fred and his friend sailed a small boat down the Mississippi from St. Louis to Baton Rouge, and worked for a time at a Civilian Conservation Corps (the "CCC") camp in the mountains of Washington State. Fred returned to New York in 1940 with war approaching. He and his brother Donald joined the Seventh Regiment of the National Guard, and later were activated in the United States Army Air Corps. Trained as a pilot, Fred became a 1st Lieutenant in the United States Army Air Corps where he piloted a B-17 bomber on bombing runs over Europe. During his service, Fred flew 31 combat missions including three missions over Normandy on D-Day. His plane was hit so many times by enemy fire that it was nicknamed "Patches". Fred was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal, and he received an honorable discharge in 1945 following the end of the war. After the war, Fred had a turkey farm in Cape Vincent and later in Cazenovia for a number of years. Hence Fred was nicknamed "Turkey Taylor" by his friends and "Grandpa Turkey" by his family. So many turkeys were shipped from his farm in Cazenovia that the post office was upgraded to reflect a higher volume of shipments. Fred was an accomplished carpenter. He rebuilt his homes in Cazenovia as well as his camp in the Adirondacks. Fred was gifted with great positive energy and a contagious enthusiasm for life. He will be remembered by all who knew him for his friendliness, warm smile, waive and hello, his humor and his unforgettable personality. Fred is survived by his wife of 40 years, Wendy, his three daughters, Gayonne McDonald (Wally) of Cazenovia, Tara Taylor Currier (Thomas) of Conway, NH, and Melissa Taylor of Georgetown, NY, his step children Robert Hotchkiss Pierce (Margaret) of Duxbury MA and Heather Pierce Post (Charles) of Middlebury VT. He is also survived by 3 grandchildren Tara Louise Cutter, Lakin Baldridge Williams (Rick) and Zachary Taylor Goodyear (Martha); and 5 step grandchildren Lindsay, Taylor and MacKenzie Kingston, Brewster and William Pierce; and 7 great grandchildren, Young Louise Goodyear, Taylor Stone, Julia, Cutter, and Marsh Williams, and Caroline and Catherine Goodyear. A celebration of Fred's life will be held at 1:00 pm on October 12, 2014 at the Cazenovia Club, 4 Ledyard Ave., Cazenovia, New York. Contributions in Fred's memory may be made to the Cazenovia Public Library.