Denver O’Neil Taylor, 63, died Sunday, April 21,1996, at his home in Cove.
A memorial service will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Cove Masonic Building with Ron Music, deacon of the First Christian Church in Hermiston, officiating. Private interment will be at the Cove Cemetery. Services are entrusted to Daniels Chapel of the Valley in La Grande.
Mr. Taylor, a Native American of the Pit River Tribe of Northern California, was born July 30, 1932, at Haines to Henry and Orilla Viola (Shadley) Taylor. He was a man of many trades and engaged in farming, ranching, mining, paving with blacktop and truck driving.
He served for a short time in the U.S. Air Force during the early 1950s. He married Shirley Baert on Feb. 24, 1958, in Baker City and the couple moved to Sherwood. Mr. Taylor worked as a welder for Petibone Mercury in Tualatin, where he helped build lift trucks until an injury forced his retirement. The couple moved to Cove in 1987.
Mr. Taylor enjoyed hunting, picking mushrooms and fishing, especially for sturgeon. He was a member of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, District Lodge No. 24, Local No. 1005.
Survivors include his wife, Shirley Taylor of Cove; children, Chris Taylor of Aloha, Mike Taylor of Sherwood and Sheri Taylor of Cove; stepchildren, Doug Taylor of Cove and Sue Taylor of La Grande; seven grandchildren, Michelle Taylor, Erin Taylor, Denver Taylor, Shirley Jean Taylor, Toni Taylor, Tonya Taylor and Seth Taylor; sisters, June Cutshall of Tigard and Rosanna Stenke of Lake Oswego; brothers, Walter Taylor of Cove and Lyle Taylor of Vernonia; numerous nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.
His brothers Alvin “Mick” Taylor and William Taylor and sisters Rowena Pearson and Coena Cutshall died earlier.
Friends who wish may make contributions in memory of Denver Taylor to the Oregon Cancer Society, P.O. Box 1581, La Grande 97850 or to the Union County Home Health-Hospice, P. 0. Box 1390, La Grande 97850.
The Observer, La Grande, OR, THURSDAY, 25 Apr 1996, Page # 13.
Contributed by: Robert Bull