After living with multiple myeloma since 2016, John Edward Francis Taylor passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by loved ones, on Feb. 22, 2023. John is survived by his wife, Kelly, his daughter, Janelle, and his step-daughter, Angela. Also surviving are John’s mother, Coral Taylor, and his four siblings, Stephanie Yancy (Joseph), Sharon Taylor (Willie Covington), Philip Taylor (Joanne), and James Taylor (Dee). John’s large, loving family also includes his nieces and nephews and many cousins.
John was born in Nassau, Bahamas, on Jan. 23rd, 1952, to The Rev. John Taylor and Coral (Fawkes) Taylor. He moved with his family to the United States when he was a year old, so that his father could attend The General Seminary in New York. Following his father’s ordination to the priesthood, John and his family returned to Nassau. During his childhood and teenage years, he also lived in Dallas, TX, Evanston, IL, Annapolis, MD and Brooklyn, NY.
Kelly and John met at a Midtown Manhattan gym in a step aerobics class. John played league tennis for many years and biked and hiked and continued to be active after moving to Superior Colorado in 1997. They and their daughter Janelle enjoyed life in Colorado, where John was active in his church, St. Ambrose Episcopal Church in Boulder. At St. Ambrose, he taught the middle school Sunday School class for many years. He also served on the vestry and on a rector search committee, was an usher and zoom verger, reader etc.
John had a long career as a cyber security professional. He started working in the technology field after graduating from college. John always worked on the cutting edge and was constantly adding to his knowledge base. He spent a summer at MIT and was always working on keeping up his certifications. He loved technology and was happy working at Cognizant for many years.
John’s interests included sports, jazz, Black art, literature, and history, and hiking and as a proud Bahamian, anything involving Caribbean culture. He loved throwing a party, adding another cool t-shirt to his collection and going to Denver Nuggets games. More than anything, he adored his family. One of his greatest joys was watching Janelle, a high school and college sprinter, speed around the track.
John earned a B.A. from Trinity College, Hartford and an MBA from Saint John’s University New York.
John’s faith was strong, and his belief in caring for others more than himself lasted until the very end. Among his last words to family members were, “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine,” and “Don’t be sad. I had a good life. I met a great woman and I had a wonderful daughter.” He also called on his mother’s words to help comfort those of us who will miss him so much. “As Mom would say,” John said, “God bless you.”
A memorial service will be held at St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, 7520 South Boulder Rd, Boulder, CO on June 24, 2023 at 2 o’clock in the afternoon. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, 7520 S Boulder Rd, Boulder, CO 80303 or to Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, 383 Main Ave., 5th Floor, Norwalk, CT 06851.
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