Taylor Thornton

Taylor I. Thornton Obituary
Taylor Irvin Thornton, 77, of Orange, New Jersey, passed away on January 4, 2026, surrounded by his loving family at Saint Barnabas Hospital in Livingston, New Jersey.
Born on June 14, 1948, in Cumberland, Virginia, Taylor was the beloved son of the late Henry W. Thornton and the late Susie E. West. He attended school in Cumberland before migrating at the age of 16 to the Oranges of New Jersey, where he became a proud resident of Orange for more than 60 years.
Taylor began his working life as a landscaper, a trade he practiced for ten years, before embarking on a long and dedicated career as a long-haul truck driver. He spent many years in the trucking industry and later fulfilled a personal goal by owning and operating his own rig prior to retirement. Outside of work, Taylor had a passion for working on cars and was a highly skilled amateur mechanic, a talent admired and relied upon by many.
He is survived by his loving wife, Carolyn Thornton; his children, Michael Allen (Tanya), Kim Wengert, Chevelle Thornton, and Jerome Thornton; and his grandchildren, Taylor Allen, Tiffany Allen, Alexandria Walker (James), Antonia Soto, Nicholas Soto, Gareth Wengert, Chase Wengert, Miracle Thornton, and Linda Rose Thornton. He also leaves behind cherished great-grandchildren.
Taylor is further survived by his brother, James Thornton (Linda); his sister, Betty Thornton (Robert); his brothers-in-law, Earl Ross, Jerome Allen (Margie), and Thaddeus Allen; his sisters-in-law, Debby Allen and Gale Allen; Aunt Otelia Crump: and a host of other loving relatives, including nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, other family and friends.
He was preceded in death by his beloved sister, Annie Thornton.