On April 1st longtime Sacramento community member and business owner Gary Warren Taylor passed away peacefully from cancer. Gary was born on December 2, 1939 in Sacramento to parents Betty Philpot Taylor and Warren Taylor. During his childhood he attended schools in Sacramento, Germany, Washington D.C. and Washington state before graduating from Sir Francis Drake High School in San Anselmo, California in June of 1957. During high school Gary was an athlete on the varsity tennis team and competed in rifle sharp shooting competitions, often finding his name in newspaper articles due to his achievements. After high school Gary began the Army ROTC program at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. During his time at Cal Poly he was a member of the Alpha Zeta fraternity, earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Dairy Manufacturing, and was designated a Distinguished Military Graduate in 1961. Upon his graduation, Gary became a Reserve Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Army residing at Fort Benning, Georgia as a member of the 44th Ranger Company. In 1966 Gary, as a 1st Lieutenant, assumed command of Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry of the California National Guard Reserve Defense Unit. He was honorably discharged from military service in May of 1969.

In 1961 Gary married Bonnie Buick (Willis), and together they had three daughters and a son. In October of 1976 Gary married Paula Phillips and a few years later they welcomed a daughter. In 2016 Gary was fortunate to find companionship and love once again in Karen Chanda, a friend he’d known for years from Lake Tahoe. In his professional life Gary worked as a branch manager for Wells Fargo Bank first in Grass Valley, then Mountain View, and later relocating to Sacramento to oversee the opening of a new branch. After leaving the bank, he worked with his brothers Robert and Fred Taylor in Taylor Mobile Homes sales before beginning his career in real estate, managing Taylor Shopping Center and Village Green Apartments as well as several other investments and properties. Gary was considered to be the patriarch of the Taylor family, looked up to by his brothers in business practices and in life.

In his leisure time Gary enjoyed reading, boating on Lake Tahoe, traveling and enjoying cruises, collecting special rocks, shells and driftwood, having lunch with his brothers, keeping his shooting skills sharp at local ranges, and spending time with those he loved, especially his children and grandchildren. Gary was also beloved by many special friends, including those he worked with at Village Green, those he bonded with at Al Anon, the "geezers" he dined with on Friday nights in Tahoe, and many others that he connected with through his business and personal life. He was a member of Capital Christian Church and regularly gave to a variety of charitable organizations, especially those that support children and animals.

Gary is preceded in death by his grandson Ryan Cannon (1993) and second wife Paula Taylor (2015). He is survived by his children Darlene McGregor (Ron), Cheryl Taylor (Gary), Debbie Gonsalves (Jimmy), Kevin Taylor, and Julie DeVore; his siblings Robert Taylor (Jan), Dr. Roger Taylor (Bobbie), Fred Taylor, Ron Taylor, and Lynne Ridley; his grandchildren Alyssa and Davis McGregor, Tyler Cannon and Courtney Stephens, Jessica and Nicole Gonsalves, Landon and Bennett DeVore; his partner Karen Chanda. For information about his funeral service on April 25th and links to charity organizations he supported please view his webpage on Ever Loved. 

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