John Taylor

LT COL Army (Ret.) John C. Taylor, 76, of Buffalo Valley will be celebrated with a funeral service on Friday November 1, 2019 at 11:30 at Hooper Huddleston and Horner Funeral Home. Buddy Johnson, minister of the Jefferson Avenue Church of Christ will officiate. Interment, with military honors, will follow at 3:00 pm at the Donaldson Family Cemetery in Clay County. The Taylor family will receive friends from 9:30 am until the service at 11:30 am. LT COL Taylor died Sunday, October 27, 2019 at NHC Smithville, of Alzheimer's disease complicated by pneumonia. He was born in Monroe, Louisiana on September 16, 1943 to the late Marion and Dorris Taylor. He was married to Patricia Clark Taylor, of Cookeville. After graduation from Louisiana State University at Monroe, with a BA degree in commercial art and journalism, LT COL Taylor entered active duty in the US Army as a Distinguished Military Graduate (ROTC). He served in a variety of positions including Plans and Operations Officer (Republic of Korea), Combat Assault Helicopter Pilot, Command Assault Helicopter Company Executive Officer, Aviation Liaison Officer and Aviation to the Vietnamese Army III Corp, Combat Air Mission Commander, with 650 separate aerial combat assaults (Republic of Vietnam). After Vietnam, LT COL Taylor was assigned as a Professor of Military Science at Tennessee Technological University where he also obtained an MA in History. (1972-1978). From Tennessee Tech, LT COL Taylor went to the Defense Language Institute where he became a foreign area specialist – Latin America. His later assignments took him to El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, and Costa Rica. He retired from the army in 1986 and remained in Costa Rica as the Chief Operations Officer of the United States State Department's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance for Latin American and the Caribbean. As CEO, he coordinated the USAID (United States Aid to International Disasters) team response to disaster relief in all parts of Latin American and the Caribbean. LT COL Taylor was the recipient of the Defense Superior Service Medal (2), the Distinguished Flying Cross (2), the Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal (2), Air Medal (26 awards), Armed Forces Honor Medal 1st Class. In 2006 he retired from the State Department and returned to Cookeville. He married his college sweetheart, Patricia, built a house near the Caney Fork River and Center Hill Lake and spent the rest of his days fishing, bird hunting, leisure travel and community service. He was active in Cookeville's noon Rotary, the Putnam County Sheriffs Jail Disciplinary Board, the Jefferson Avenue Church of Christ with special emphasis on the activities of their Latin American Missionary work and Hispanic Ministry. He received a second chance for life in 2013 when he received a heart transplant at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He urged everyone to be an organ donor. The Taylor family wishes to extend a very special thanks to the nurses, Nioakah Hickman and Amanda Savage, and team of excellent caregivers at Reflections of NHC Smithville. In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by a sister, Rebecca Taylor, and a daughter, Logan Taylor. Survivors include his wife Patricia, daughter Erin Taylor, son-in-law Jack Staley and five grandchildren, Gwyn, Ian and Henry Weathers and Kelby and Gabby Staley. Active pallbearers will be Eddie and Brad Clark; Bruce, Dakota, and Montana Palmer; Kenny Kirk; Blake Shepherd and Ian Weathers. Memorial contributions may be made to the Hispanic Ministry of the Jefferson Avenue Church of Christ, 521 Jefferson Avenue, Cookeville, Tennessee 38501, or to the Wounded Warriors Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka Kansas 66675. Hooper Huddleston and Horner Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. (931)526-6111 Share memories and condolences at www.hhhfunerals.com.