Arthur Taylor
Obituary Reports the death of an individual, providing an account of the person’s life including their achievements, any controversies in which they were involved, and reminiscences by people who knew them.
Hartsdale’s Arthur James Taylor, a much-loved husband, father, grandfather, uncle and jokester, departed this life on Saturday, May 25 at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx at the age of 95.
Arthur was born on June 22, 1928, to Mabel Maud (Josephs) Taylor and Isaac Edward Taylor in the Bronx. He was the fifth of seven children and a graduate of Haaren High School in Manhattan.
Long an admirer of all things related to aviation, Arthur joined the U.S. Army Air Corps (a precursor of the Air Force) and served in the Korean War. He reached the rank of staff sergeant and served for seven years, earning several medals. Always a proud veteran, he traveled to Washington, D.C. with the Hudson Valley Honor Flight in 2014.
Arthur initially worked as a route manager at Drake’s and Hostess bakeries (a job that made him popular with children on Popham Avenue) before going into sales. During a stint as a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman, he once visited the home of comedian Moms Mabley. Arthur didn’t make the sale, but he remembered the encounter. Several years later, when accompanying his daughter and son-in-law on a tour of the house that they ultimately purchased, he recalled being in the home, and the owner confirmed that it was once owned by Mabley.
Arthur eventually became a memorial counselor for Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, working there for nearly 30 years and achieving the rank of master salesman. There, he sold mausoleums, cremation niches and burial plots to hundreds of customers, making him one of the highest grossing salesmen in the company’s history.
Always quick with a joke or funny story, Arthur was a longtime member and former chaplain of The Old Guard of Westchester, where he tried out his comedic material at their weekly meetings. He was a member of Grace Baptist Church in Mount Vernon for more than 20 years and served with Seniors on the Move and the Men’s Ministry.
Arthur married MaraRuth (Leake) Taylor in June 1955 at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, and they were together until Ruth’s passing in September 1986. His daughter, Gayle (Taylor) Williams, was born to this union. In March 1996, he married Constance Crump Taylor, who survives him.
Arthur is survived by his wife of 28 years, Constance; his daughter, Gayle; a son-in-law, Terry Williams; two grandsons, Reece T. Williams and Nile C. Williams; several nieces including Jo-Ann Henry Espeut, Christina Taylor, Lorraine Taylor, Patricia Taylor, Jeanne Bennett and Barbara Bennett; several nephews, including Peter Taylor, Stephen Taylor, Matthew Taylor, Richard McClendon and Charles McClendon; and several cousins, grandnieces and grandnephews and great-grandnieces and great-grandnephews.
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