1954 – 2014

WEST PARIS — Richard Erland Taylor, 61, of Rumford passed away Friday, Nov. 21, at Ledgeview Living Center in West Paris. His last days were spent surrounded by the love of his daughters and his sister, Tammy. He was a long-time resident of the Rumford area and resided at the Muskie Building.

Richard was a loving father, son, brother and grandfather. He served his country in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. He spent his working years at Bath Iron Works. Richard had many small businesses throughout his life starting in his teenage years selling night crawlers, and continued with a video store in Dixfield, a pizza house in Canton and a bottle return depot in Rumford. Richard was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed fishing, hunting and gardening. He passed his love of the outdoors onto his siblings, children and grandchildren.

He is survived by his parents, Stanton and Margaret Taylor of Ohio and Wilma and Larry Holmes of Andover; siblings, Cameron Taylor, Vicky Taylor, Christie Phelps and Tammy Hutchinson; his children, Chrystal Taylor Schaffner and her husband, Bradley, and Angela Taylor and her fiancé, Robert Tuttle; and his six grandchildren, Savannah, Kyle, Drayden, Avery, Isaiah and Kaolin.

He was predeceased by his paternal grandparents, Joseph Taylor and Myrtle Taylor-White of Dixfield, and his maternal grandparents, Albert and Lillian Heywood of Peru; his brother, John Holmes; and baby sister, Margaret.