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Rev Richard Edgar Taylor Jr.

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Rev Richard Edgar Taylor Jr.

Birth	:	10 Oct 1924 Dwight, Morris County, Kansas, USA
Death	:	17 Feb 2012 Andover, Butler County, Kansas, USA
Burial	:	Mount Hope Cemetery, Enterprise, Dickinson County, USA
Coordinate	:	38.8869019, -97.1121979
Description	:	The Rev. Richard E. Taylor Jr., 87, retired Methodist minister and state lobbyist, passed away on Friday, February 17, 2012. Richard had a passion for saving and preserving historic landmarks and loved old trains and cars. He also wrote the book I Love Kansas. He was preceded in death by his wife of 44 years, Mary Louise Taylor, and is survived by his children: Rick of Berryton, Dave (Deana) of Seattle, WA; and Mary (Keith) Haas of Wichita; two older sisters, Dorothy Gish of Enterprise and Mary Maxine Fiedler of Abilene; brother-in-law, R.W. Cook of Enterprise; 7 grandchildren and 7... Read More	The Rev. Richard E. Taylor Jr., 87, retired Methodist minister and state lobbyist, passed away on Friday, February 17, 2012. Richard had a passion for saving and preserving historic landmarks and loved old trains and cars. He also wrote the book I Love Kansas. He was preceded in death by his wife of 44 years, Mary Louise Taylor, and is survived by his children: Rick of Berryton, Dave (Deana) of Seattle, WA; and Mary (Keith) Haas of Wichita; two older sisters, Dorothy Gish of Enterprise and Mary Maxine Fiedler of Abilene; brother-in-law, R.W. Cook of Enterprise; 7 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. A family visitation will be held on Sunday, February 19, at 3 - 5 P.M. at Baker Funeral Home, Wichita. Funeral services will be held Tuesday, February 21 at 11:00 A.M. at the Enterprise, KS, United Methodist Church. Published in Topeka Capital-Journal on February 19, 2012. NOTE: Rev. Taylor was the son of Richard Edgar and Mary Christina Smith Taylor. ****** Rev. Richard Taylor dies at 87 in Andover Posted: February 18, 2012 - 9:40am By Phil Anderson THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL Funeral services are set for Tuesday morning in Enterprise for the Rev. Richard Taylor, the raspy-voiced United Methodist minister who spent much of his life as an anti-liquor and anti-gambling lobbyist at the Statehouse. Taylor died Friday at age 87 at a nursing home in Andover following a three-week hospitalization for pneumonia, said his daughter, Mary Haas, of Wichita.In his later years in Topeka, before he moved three years ago to the Wichita area, Taylor was a staunch advocate for historic preservation in Shawnee County, pushing for renovation of such properties as the John Ritchie House, 1116 S.E. Madison, and the Jayhawk Theatre, 720 S.W. Jackson. He also was instrumental in saving the "cage" elevator at the Statehouse.He wrote a book, "I Love Kansas," which chronicled many historically important places and people of the Sunflower State.Taylor, who served in the U.S. Navy and was a graduate of Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., was a United Methodist minister in the 1960s and early 1970s at churches in Salina, Concordia and Wichita. Later, Taylor was sent by the United Methodist Church to Topeka, where he would become well-known for more than two decades in the halls of the Statehouse, lobbying legislators and raising money for anti-alcohol and anti-gambling causes.In 1972, Haas said, her father was diagnosed with cancer on one of his vocal cords, though she said he never smoked or drank.Surgery was performed in St. Louis, leaving his once-powerful voice as little more than a whisper. Yet with the voice he had left, Taylor continued to champion his causes. In time, his voice raised to the level of hoarseness, rather than a mere whisper.Taylor, a strapping man who in his prime stood 6-2 and weighed 200 pounds, became a fixture on radio and television newscasts as president of Kansans for Life at Its Best, a post he held for 21 years before his 1992 retirement.Until a few years ago, Taylor continued to speak at United Methodist churches and also for community organizations.Haas said her father moved to an assisted-living facility three years ago in Wichita after requiring cataract surgery.Taylor continued to live at the facility, where he was only about a mile from Haas and her family.Haas said she visited her father every day and was glad he didn't have to contend with driving or shoveling snow, as he did while living in a stone home built in 1860 near Berryton in rural southeast Shawnee County.Those who served in the Statehouse while Taylor was with Kansans for Life at Its Best recalled him as a person who could get along with others regardless of whether they saw things eye-to-eye."I remember him as a strong advocate for Christian values," said Topeka Mayor Bill Bunten, who was a GOP state representative from 1962 to 1990 and later a state senator for two more years. "He was particularly concerned about alcohol problems, but he was always understanding of other people's views."Bunten said he was sure Taylor was "welcome in the kingdom of heaven."Sen. Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka, said Taylor "wielded quite a bit of power for a long, long time" during the years he was a fixture at the Statehouse."In his day, Rev. Taylor was a political powerhouse," Hensley said. "He had a pretty strong following in the Legislature."Hensley said he was on opposite sides of the fence from Taylor on such issues as liquor by the drink and pari-mutuel wagering. Though his passions against drinking and alcohol weren't shared by all, Taylor endeared himself to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.Hensley said Taylor was a "genuinely fine fellow" who could disagree with people without being disagreeable.Hensley recalled Taylor was host of a weekly television program during the legislative session on WIBW-TV in which he would interview lawmakers on various topics.Taylor, said Hensley, "was kind of ahead of his time in terms of talk TV."Hensley said Taylor expressed concern about the division between the conservative and liberal factions inside the Kansas Republican Party.While Taylor maintained his opposition to alcohol and gambling, he "grew less and less conservative" in a number of other areas as he grew older, said Hensley, the Senate minority leader.Taylor was preceded in death in 1992 by his wife of 44 years, Mary Louise Taylor, who died at age 66.He is survived by his children: Rick Taylor, 57, of Berryton; Dave Taylor, 55, of Seattle; and Haas, 48, of Wichita.He also is survived by two older sisters, Dorothy Gish, of Enterprise, and Mary Maxine Fiedler, of Abilene, as well as seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.Visitation will be from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Baker Funeral Home, 6100 E. Central, in Wichita.Services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Enterprise United Methodist Church in Enterprise.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Rev Richard Edgar Taylor Jr.'s memorial?
Rev Richard Edgar Taylor Jr.'s memorial is located at: Mount Hope Cemetery, Enterprise, Dickinson County, USA.
When did Rev Richard Edgar Taylor Jr. death?
Rev Richard Edgar Taylor Jr. death on 17 Feb 2012 in Andover, Butler County, Kansas, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Rev Richard Edgar Taylor Jr.'s memorial?
Latitude: 38.8869019
Longitude: -97.1121979

Family Members:

Parent

Richard Edgar “Edgar” Taylor Sr.

(1873 - 1957)

Mary Christina Smith Taylor

(1885 - 1970)

Spouse

Mary Louise Cook Taylor

(1926 - 1992)

Siblings

Minnie “Ruth” Taylor Wood

(1913 - 2006)

Dorothy Opal Taylor Gish

(1915 - 2012)

Mary Maxine Taylor Fiedler

(1922 - 2018)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Mount Hope Cemetery
Enterprise, Dickinson County, USA
Coordinate: 38.8869019, -97.1121979

2. Scheiller Cemetery
Enterprise, Dickinson County, USA
Coordinate: 38.8669014, -97.1106033

3. Pleasant Hill Cemetery
Enterprise, Dickinson County, USA
Coordinate: 38.8885150, -97.0749560

4. Lutheran Cemetery #17
Enterprise, Dickinson County, USA
Coordinate: 38.9009209, -97.0734787

5. Detroit Cemetery
Detroit, Dickinson County, USA
Coordinate: 38.9439300, -97.1255100

6. Farmington Cemetery
Abilene, Dickinson County, USA
Coordinate: 38.8707800, -97.1860200

7. Brown Memorial Cemetery
Abilene, Dickinson County, USA
Coordinate: 38.8755950, -97.1993410

8. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum Chapel
Abilene, Dickinson County, USA
Coordinate: 38.9118450, -97.2129410

9. Saint John's Episcopal Church Memorial Garden
Abilene, Dickinson County, USA
Coordinate: 38.9202700, -97.2137300

10. Dwight D. Eisenhower Municipal Building
Abilene, Dickinson County, USA
Coordinate: 38.9191100, -97.2155700

11. Navarre Cemetery
Navarre, Dickinson County, USA
Coordinate: 38.7957115, -97.1080627

12. Riffel Cemetery (Defunct)
Woodbine, Dickinson County, USA
Coordinate: 38.8177986, -97.0342026

13. Abilene Cemetery
Abilene, Dickinson County, USA
Coordinate: 38.9322014, -97.2217026

14. Belle Springs Cemetery
Hope, Dickinson County, USA
Coordinate: 38.7907982, -97.1481018

15. Mount Saint Joseph Cemetery
Abilene, Dickinson County, USA
Coordinate: 38.9442170, -97.2218690

16. Indian Hill Cemetery
Chapman, Dickinson County, USA
Coordinate: 38.9714012, -97.0327988

17. Bethel Cemetery
Moonlight, Dickinson County, USA
Coordinate: 39.0022011, -97.1110535

18. Rinehart Cemetery
Enterprise, Dickinson County, USA
Coordinate: 38.9021988, -96.9638977

19. Saint Patricks Cemetery
Chapman, Dickinson County, USA
Coordinate: 38.9803330, -97.0062850

20. Newbern Cemetery
Holland, Dickinson County, USA
Coordinate: 38.8133011, -97.2427979

21. Ebenezer Baptist Cemetery
Dickinson County, USA
Coordinate: 38.7659569, -97.1696701

22. Langhofer Cemetery
Woodbine, Dickinson County, USA
Coordinate: 38.7905530, -96.9921110

23. Langhofer-Riffel Cemetery
Woodbine, Dickinson County, USA
Coordinate: 38.7835530, -96.9874660

24. Mount Zion Cemetery
Junction City, Geary County, USA
Coordinate: 38.8762000, -96.9267080