Don Stuart Taylor

1939 - 2022

Don Stuart Taylor, a Texas native, passed away peacefully Wednesday, October 26, 2022, after a long battle with Parkinson's Disease and Lewy Body Dementia, exactly 13 days after being diagnosed with MDS and Pancreatic/Biliary Duct Cancer. He spent his last days surrounded by family and amazing nursing staff, with laughter and tears that filled the halls of the hospital floor.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, November 2, 2022, at Roberts-Martinez Funeral Chapel (4200 Denton Highway, Haltom City, Texas 76117) beginning at 1:00 PM with a Celebration of Life to follow at 2:00 PM.

Burial will be done privately on November 3 with immediate family at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery.

Don, or "Pa" as he was known by his grandchildren, was born in Crowell, Texas to Thelma Kunkel and David Taylor. His father left at a very young age (2 years old), and Don spent most of his childhood being passed around and raised by his grandparents in Megargel, Texas, his Aunt Bessie and Uncle Wylie in Kentucky, and then finally moved back in with his mother to finish high school. Some of his fondest memories included picking peaches with his Grandpa as a child and playing with his dog, Skipper.

Don joined the United States Army in 1958 and served as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division through 1961. He met his wife, Brenda Snipes, in 1960, while serving in the military in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Through persistent attempts at wooing Brenda for a date, she finally relented; 6 months later, Don and Brenda were married and they moved to Texas to fulfill his greatest dream – to start a family, buy land, and spend summers as a family traveling across the country in their Chevy van. He enjoyed spending time with his family, raising cattle, gardening, picking strawberries with his grandchildren, swimming, feeding his catfish and reliving war history through visiting civil war museums and participating in reenactments across the country.

Don was preceded in death by his sister (Billie Curtis), and parents.

He is survived by Brenda Taylor (wife), Lara Cahill (daughter) and husband Jayson, Sascha Taylor (daughter), Stuart Taylor (son), Amber Rutledge (daughter) and husband Shane, and finally his grandchildren, Aspen and Blake Rutledge, and Makayla and Kaiden Cahill.

In lieu of flowers and gifts, the family is requesting donations be made to the following charities in his honor:

https://www.charitywatch.org/charities/michael-j-fox-foundation-for-parkinsons-research

https://giving.cookchildrens.org/donate