John Taylor

John Thomas Taylor, age 64, of Springville, TN, died Sunday, June 1, 2014, at his residence in Springville, TN.

His wife, Angie Gardner Taylor, survives. They were married on July 30, 1994.

John was born Dec. 15, 1949, in Pikeville to Louise Lee Taylor Keaton of Crossville and the late Charles Gaut Taylor II.

He retired after 40 years with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. He was a member of Knights of Columbus, the Optimist Club and Friends of the National Wildlife Refuge, where he served on the board.

He worked at 18 refuges across nine states in his career.   His 40-year career began while he was at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, when he was named a student trainee at the Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge in Swan Quarter, N.C.

He later worked at Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge in Hillsboro, Ga., in 1970 and Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge near Virginia Beach, Va., in 1971.

After graduating from college, he was named part-time assistant manager at Santee National Wildlife Refuge in Summerton, S.C., earning a full-time position less than a year later.

In 1979, Taylor became the first manager of the 1.15 million-acre Becharof National Wildlife Monument in Alaska. In 1980, he became refuge manager of both Becherof and the Alaska Peninsula refuges for a total of 4 million acres in both refuges.

In 1991, he moved back to Tennessee, as a Tennessee Wildlife Refuge manager. During the following years, he was given the Director’s Award for Unusually Outstanding Performance. He was instrumental in establishing the Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge in western Kentucky in 1997. He also was manager of the Cross Creeks Refuge in Dover.

The U.S. Department of the Interior gave him the Meritorious Service Award in 2009, following the new office and visitor center site dedication in Henry County.

Besides his wife and mother, he leaves three sons: Matthew Chase McDurmon, Anderson Luke Taylor and Beau Thomas Taylor, all of Springville; two sisters: Trudy Reynolds of Knoxville and Brenda Barker of Crossville; one brother: Chuck G. Taylor III of Knoxville; and his in-laws: Robert “Buddy” and Delaine Gardner of Springville.

Visitation will be from 4 - 7:30 p.m. Wednesday with a rosary said at 7:30 p.m. at Ridgeway Funeral Home

The Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Holy Cross Catholic Church, where he was a member.

The Rev. Kris Rusin will officiate. Cremains will be buried in Elkhorn Cemetery.

Members of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Honor Guard will serve as pallbearers.

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