Robert Lloyd Taylor

Robert Lloyd Taylor, 86, passed away on October 5, 2024, in Gilbert, Arizona. He was born November 22, 1937 to Lamar Arwell Taylor and Ione McClellan in El Paso, Texas, where he later attended Austin High School. He earned his undergraduate degree from BYU, during which time he married his childhood friend, Bonnie Jeanne Reaves, in the Mesa Arizona Temple. They were married for over 67 years. Together, they moved to Houston, Texas, where Robert completed dental school at the University of Texas. Robert then practiced dentistry in the United States Air Force in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He and Bonnie eventually settled down in Tempe, Arizona to raise their four children, Kathleen Jeannette Taylor Banister (Christian), David Alan Taylor (Connie), Michelle Taylor Bailey (Curt) and Michael Lloyd Taylor (Michelle). They later retired to Gilbert, Arizona.
Robert always loved trains, from his high school job working on the ice docks to his summer job during his undergraduate and dental school working as a fireman on the railroad. He collected trains his whole life and liked to set them up around the Christmas tree and show them off to his grandchildren Max Banister and Anika Banister (Kathleen); Amanda Taylor (David); Kayla MacNeille, Taylor Bailey, and Tori Clouse (Michelle); Emily Udall, Finn Taylor, and Avery Taylor (Michael).
Robert loved to host parties and go on outings with the church youth groups. He had many good friends and loved to share his time and money generously with his family, friends, and community. He and Bonnie loved to travel. Together they explored Alaska, the Panama Canal, New England, Hawaii, South Africa, and many other places.
Robert and Bonnie served a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Palmyra, New York as church site tour guides. Robert thrived making friends with the other missionaries and teaching people they met from all over the world. Later they served a mission at the Tempe Institute of Religion on the ASU campus providing a safe place for those young adults as they worked their way through their college years.
After Bonnie passed away in 2021, he began struggling with his memory and day-to-day tasks. He moved into assisted living where he made good friends and was well loved and taken care of. He was always cheerful and made the most of his last few years before he could be reunited with his beloved Bonnie and family that preceded him. We love him, and he will be dearly missed, but we find joy in knowing that this reunion has finally taken place.
There will be a viewing held on Friday, October 11, 2024, from 5:00pm to 7:00pm at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church building at 495 S Greenfield Rd, Gilbert, AZ 85296. The funeral service will be held at 10:00am on Saturday, October 12, at the same church building, with a visitation beginning one hour prior to the service from 9:00 to 9:40am. Interment will be at the Mesa Cemetery. The family is grateful for the reverence and respect that Bunker Family Funerals has had for Robert in their care. Flowers are welcome and may be sent to their garden chapel, 33 N Centennial Way, Mesa, AZ 85201. If you would rather make a donation, please do so to a charity or organization of your choosing on his behalf.
If you are unable to attend the service, please click on the link for livestream to view: https://zoom.us/j/92948517113#success
Arrangements by Bunker's Garden Chapel, www.bunkerfuneral.com. Should this obituary appear anywhere but bunkerfuneral.com, please check our website for accurate details and service information.