Fred Wendell Taylor

Fred Wendell Taylor (everybody calls him Wendell) was born on July 23,1957, in Columbia, South Carolina, to Robert L. Taylor and Francenia Taylor.

Wendell graduated from Fort Knox High School in 1976. He went into the Army, and served three years of active duty at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He left the regular Army in 1979, but before leaving the Army, he met the love of his life, Joyce Renee Presswood. They got married on October 14th, 1978; they had over 45 years of marriage filled with love, laughter, and many wonderful memories. With their union, they had three children. After leaving the regular Army, he joined the Army Reserve, worked at the Stokely-Van Camp canning factory, Miller Pipeline, IPS Transportation, and was a tractor-trailer driver, going across the US. After all that he retired to enjoy family, life, and traveling.

Wendell loved having family and friends over for Sunday’s dinner. He loved fishing, good food, and watching sports with his boys: his favorite sandwich, he called “The Dagwood” (everything on it). People always came to Wendell for car repairs before going to the auto shops… He could fix anything (Jack of All Trades), he also loved to listen to his music till the end.

Fred Taylor was preceded in death by his wife, Joyce Renee Taylor, mother Francenia Taylor, father Robert L. Taylor and his goddaughter, Cynthia Culpepper.

He was surrounded by his loving family when he transitioned from this world to the next. Wendell is survived by three children, Sharyka (David), Frederick, and Dominique: sisters, Claudell Washington, Carletta Foreman (Uncle Neil), Marier M. Jones, and Sandra Goodwin English, mother-in-law Ella Strickling, goddaughter: Lethrice Hamilton, grandchildren, Devon, Avonia, Frederick Jr., Dominique Jr., Daylin, Diamond, Camille, and Channing, a host of nieces, nephews, great-grandchildren and all those who had the privilege of knowing and loving him.

We will remember Wendell as a man who loved his family and wouldn’t go anywhere without them. He was always a caring, easy-going spirit, shaking his leg and twisting the sides of his mustache. We see you Dad, Wendell, Dell… we will always see and miss you!

You have fought a good fight, you have finished the race, and you have kept faith. May your soul find eternal peace in the house of our Lord and Savior.