Obituary: Taylor, Ross

Age 71

Sun., March 8, 2015

TAYLOR, Ross Ross started his adventure on June 2, 1943, and headed off to the next one on February 21, 2015.

He was the son of Geneva Barton Taylor and Frank Taylor, born to a long line of rabble-rousers, trouble-makers, adventurers and possibly a bootlegger or two, unconfirmed.

He was a dreamer, a beautiful crafts-man, an epic storyteller.

No one who met him forgot that gruff roaring bellow of a voice, those bear hugs.

An American original.

Ross graduated West Valley High School in 1961 and went to WSU in the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house, earning degrees in general studies and construction management.

Notable extracurricular activities included wrapping a lovesick fraternity brother up in a mattress, sans clothing, and depositing him in the front hall of the sorority as well as driving from the SAE house in Pullman to his parents house in the Spokane Valley in 56 minutes in his ‘32 Ford Coupe.

He married Judy Reckord in 1980 and their daughter Cassie was the light of his life.

Judy passed away in 1988, and Ross spent a good deal of his life trying to figure out women, saying he had only marginal success.

Cassie remembers him dressing up for her kindergarten class as a living Christmas Tree, never once cooking bacon without setting off the smoke alarm, and making excellent fried baloney sandwiches.

He said “it was my great privilege to enjoy and love and appreciate a great many people in my life” and he meant it.

He died in the way we hope we all live; complete with the past, peaceful with the present.

Ready for what’s next.

He leaves behind his daughter Cassie and son-in-law, Matt Price, family in many shapes and forms, and many, many friends.

Deepest thanks to the staff at Hospice of Spokane and Hospice House for their grace and love those final weeks.

Memorial for Ross, otherwise known as An Epic Exchange of Tall Tales, will be held at Camp Caro in the Dishman Hills Natural Area, 625 S. Sargent Road Spokane, WA 99212, on May 16, 2015 from 3-pm-7pm.

Let us know you’re coming (509-731-3422 or http://bit.ly/1EwlKbd) so we have enough food.

If you forget, come anyway.

Photo Portobello, Panama, 2009

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