Walter Edwin Taylor, 71, of Cove, died March 1, 2001, at his home.
His funeral will be Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the Union LDS Chapel, 702 N. Main St. Bishop Jerry Baxter will officiate. Burial will follow at the Cove cemetery. Visitations will be today until 7 p.m. at Daniels Chapel of the Valley in La Grande.
Mr. Taylor was born Nov. 13, 1929, on his grandparents’ ranch near Chiloquin, a son of Marion and Orilla (Shadley) Taylor. He was the eighth of nine children. He worked as a timber faller until a logging accident in the early 1960s. He and his late wife, Shirley (Needham) Taylor, owned and ran the Cove Tavern in the ‘60s.
He attended school in Haines, Baker City and Tigard. He lived in Cove for 38 years.
Mr. Taylor loved children, hunting, fishing, his family, gardening, woodworking, rock hunting, reading and riding in the mountains. He also enjoyed watching sporting events, especially school sports. He taught hunter safety classes and coached Little League.
He married Rita (Bushnell) Schmidt on Sept. 22, 1990.
Mr. Taylor is survived by his wife, Rita, of Cove; three sons, Doug Taylor of Cove, Jack Dalton of Granger, Wash., and Allen Lee of Deer Trail, Colo; three daughters, Sue Taylor of Ronan, Mont., Theresa Ziaee of Yelm, Wash., and Fonda Timm of La Grande; two sisters, Rose Strenke of Lake Oswego, and June Cutshall of Tigard; seven stepdaughters, Cindy Witke of Grand Rapids, Mich., Laurie Gray of Pottsboro, Texas, Valorie Gutirrez of Riverside, Calif., Ronda Carter of Comstock Park, Mich., Vicki Bramblett of Wolfforth, Texas, Monette Howell of Hillsboro, and Michelle Huff of Grand Rapids, Mich.; two stepsons, Ken Fuller of Wolfforth, Texas, and Doug Fuller of Ontario; 36 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
Mr. Taylor was preceded in death by four brothers, Bill, Denver, Mick and Lyle; two sisters, Coena and Rowena; a son, Don Dalton; and a grandson, Brian Carter.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Walter Taylor Memorial Fund or to a charity of one’s choice, in care of Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 Seventh St., La Grande, Ore., 97850.
Used with permission from: The Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, March 9, 2001
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor