Billy Burl Taylor

Billy Burl Taylor, 92, of Baton Rouge, LA, passed away peacefully on September 26, 2025 after spending special time during the day with family and a private moment with his loving wife.

He was born on April 10, 1933, in San Angelo, TX, to Robert and Velma Taylor. Billy lived a full life marked by dedication, faith, and love for his family and friends.

Working side by side on the weekends, managing the boarding kennels in his Uncle Jack’s veterinary clinic, Billy (aka Butch) and his high school sweetheart, Myrna Loy Ray (aka Cookie), saved up enough money to buy an engagement ring. They were proudly married on April 4, 1953 at First Baptist Church in San Angelo, TX and then moved to Lubbock, Texas. After settling in, they, as he says, added his greatest accomplishments – 3 beautiful children, Randy, Karen, and Michael.

A proud graduate of Texas Tech University in 1960, where he earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering, Billy built a distinguished career as the Comptroller of Lubbock Power and Light in Lubbock, TX, before moving to Baton Rouge in 1970 to become the Manager of Project Managers for Barnard & Burk Engineers until he retired in 1998. Some of his greatest career accomplishments included overseeing the construction of the first power plants in Freeport, Grand Bahama, and engineering the walkway and docking system for the USS Kidd.

His work ethic and dedication stem from his childhood, where he learned the value of hard work. Growing up as the oldest of 5 on his family’s dairy farm, Billy helped run the milking barn and bottling plant. One of the largest Jersey herds in Texas, Dr Taylor’s Dairy earned the Grade A seal for raw milk and cream and distributed milk to Goodfellow Air Force Base as well as the surrounding community.

Outside of his professional life, Billy found great joy in his family, church, golf, woodworking, leather tooling, and gardening. Growing his own tepin peppers, he would season his world famous taco sauce to pour over fresh, homemade tacos as he would regularly entertain family and friends. His love for music, especially the violin, earned him the coveted first chair in the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, where his stage name was William Burlison Taylor.

Church and Boy Scouts were his two biggest passions. Billy was a member of Broadmoor Baptist Church from 1970 till his passing. Knowing the importance of faith and family, he was a leader for his family and his church. Serving as a deacon, usher, chaperone, and all-around volunteer, he shared his love for Christ with everyone he encountered. He helped start the church’s Boy Scout troop 114. Throughout his scouting career, which spanned over 3 generations of family scouting, he helped shape the lives of his sons, grandson, and others who achieved the rank of Eagle and beyond.

Billy will be remembered for his integrity, sense of humor, and generosity of spirit. He touched the lives of many and left behind a legacy of hard work, kindness, and love.

He is survived by his loving bride of 72 years Myrna Loy, children Randy Taylor (Debbie), Karen Bolton (John) and Michael Taylor (Chantal), 5 grandchildren Hunter Marks (Erin), Heather Hollier (Chris), Christopher Taylor (Haley), Lauren Taylor (Levi), and Whitney Taylor, 2 great grandchildren Alyssa Hollier and Kieran Fuller along with brother Carol (Judy) and sister Carolyn Haynes (Howard), numerous nieces and nephews and friends who will miss him deeply.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Velma Taylor, brothers Robert Wynn Taylor and Johnny Taylor, and son-in-law Don Marks.

A memorial service will be held at Broadmoor Baptist Church on Saturday, November 22, 2025 at 11AM. Visitation will begin 2 hours prior.