James R. Taylor was born to William and Patricia Miller Taylor on September 19th, 1947 in Bellingham, Washington, the older of two sons. Jim died suddenly on May 29th, 2018 at his home on Samish Island. Jim grew up in the San Juan Islands. His dad was caretaker of Camp Kirby for 10 years and Jim spent many happy days roaming the beaches of the camp, cultivating his love for the natural world.
Jim graduated from Burlington-Edison High School with the class of 1965. He attended Skagit Valley College, receiving his B.S. in Geology from Western Washington University in 1976. Jim joined the US Air Force on April 1, 1969, and was stationed in Newfoundland and Germany. He was honorably discharged on November 30, 1972. He also had a stint in the US Naval Reserve and was honorably discharged on February 27th 1978.
Jim tackled his hobbies with a scientific zeal. He researched to the max, developed the plan, and threw himself into the activity heart and soul. This included ultra-marathon running, organizing events, travel, and fishing for Dungeness crab. Jim had an eye for detail. After developing his love for music as a DJ on Armed Forces Radio in Europe he could recognize and describe any song of the era down to the title, artist, and year. This gift of recall wasn't limited to music. Jim's ability to "never forget a face" was truly remarkable.
Jim spent his working life taking care of people, whether through delivering their dairy products, developing recreational programs for them, or keeping them safe. He had recently retired from Team Industrial Services.
Jim was married to Midge Howard for 24 years before meeting Susanne Blau on a dating site in 2006. "Adventurer Seeks Adventuress" caught Susanne's eye. They married later that year and enjoyed 10 years together at Taylor Landing on the north beach of Samish Island. With this marriage, Jim acquired a large extended family of brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, and grandchildren.
Jim's parents Bill and Pat Taylor preceded him in death. Jim is survived by his brother Paul Taylor and Paul's fiancée Lucy Martel, nieces Katharine and Jennifer all of Mount Vernon, stepsons and their spouses, Peter and Gregory Anne Ormsby of Bellingham, Karl and Calli Anne Blau of Anacortes, Eddy and Kelly Blau of Clear Lake, and Alex Blau of Cape Horn; sisters and brothers in law Sydney Logsdon of Mount Vernon, Julia Hale of Salem, Oregon, Joan (Loyd) Frazier of Burlington, Richard (Molly) Atwood of Wickenburg, AZ, Barbara (Greg) Nelson of La Conner, Tom Atwood of Kingston. Jim is also survived by grandchildren, Aiden, Shel, Ciel, Poppy, Ella, Abby, Emma, Lily and Dorothy, also Quinn, Ginger, Tom and Soren and many nieces and nephews. Jim's wife Susanne survives him at the family home. We will all miss his big heart and gentle demeanor.
A memorial for Jim is being planned for a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Jim's name to the San Juan Preservation Trust at 468 Argyle Ave #B, Friday Harbor, WA 98250.