Mr. Gary Gene Taylor

Gary Gene Taylor died unexpectedly on April 12, 2021 at the age of 64 while living abroad in the Philippines.

Gary is survived by his Mother, Betty Ann Jones Stone of McLeansville, NC; his two daughters, Shana Taylor Hoogerwerf (Arien) of Haslet, TX, and Danielle Taylor Scribner (Chad) of Ft. Mill, SC, his 4 siblings,  Tony Taylor (Tina), Annette Hamilton (Charles), Ronda Phillips (Donnie), and Remona Sandridge (Ricky). In addition, he leaves behind 7 beloved grandchildren and many nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, and uncles.  He is preceded in death by his father, Dee Jae Junior Taylor.

Gary was born on October 1, 1956, in Greensboro, NC.  As a boy, he loved to spend the summers in the Virginian mountains with his cousins.  He graduated from Northeast Guilford High School in 1974 where he played on the baseball team, drove the elementary school bus, and worked daily after school. After graduation, he moved to Charlotte, NC, where he began a long and successful career in the beverage bottling industry at Coca-Cola.  Due to his impeccable work ethic, he was promoted to quality control manager at 19 years old. Through the years he also worked at  Flavorich and Publix. Gary spent most of his career in Florida in management positions at Publix where he worked for 27 years before retiring in 2014.  Gary’s daughters remember him as a hard-working man who taught them to always give 110% and would often tell them “that if a company is paying you for a service-give them their money’s worth and more.”

Gary loved the beach, baseball, the Dallas Cowboys, shopping, banana pudding, tequila, and long island iced tea. He organized softball teams in every city he ever lived in as an adult and would often play on multiple teams a season.  He was a talented artist and loved yard work and creating art with objects found on the beach.  Gary enjoyed life and loved to joke and make sure everyone around him was having a good time. 

In 2015, Gary moved to the Philippines to enjoy his retirement years.  He snorkeled, went caving, rock climbing, and rappelling. He spent as much time on the beach as possible, organized a softball league, and played Santa Claus for neighborhood children for three Christmases in a row. 

A private family memorial will be held on May 15th in McLeansville, NC.