Thomas Taylor

Thomas Edward Taylor, 79, of Wilmington, NC, passed away peacefully at home on December 28th.
The son of Edward and Doris Taylor, Tom was born on August 8, 1946, in Hudson County, New Jersey. He is survived by his beloved wife of 52 years, Patricia, his son, Brendan Taylor (Rachael) and three grandchildren, Charles, George, and Grace, all of Shelburne, Vermont, and his daughter, Rebecca, of Kenmore, Washington.
Tom's life was distinguished by a strong commitment to education, both formal and informal. Thomas attended the University of Pennsylvania for his undergraduate education, after which he went on to obtain a law degree from Harvard University (1971), an LL.M. in taxation from New York University (1978), and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Connecticut (1996). Even more, Tom will be remembered by his family as a lifelong learner; he was passionate about understanding history, particularly the Civil War, and was rarely without a book in hand. He found quiet pleasure in sharing that interest by passing along clipped articles and issues of National Geographic to his children and grandchildren, whether they liked it or not.
Proud of and deeply dedicated to his career, Tom began his legal practice with a Wall Street firm in New York City before developing a specialized focus in corporate tax law. He joined Freeport McMoRan in 1982 and later held senior roles at Elf Aquitaine and General Signal, where he led their tax departments. In 1999, he brought his distinguished reputation in corporate tax law to McGuireWoods in Charlotte, North Carolina, joining the firm as a partner and remaining there until his retirement in 2012.
When he was not obtaining degrees or navigating the intricacies of the federal tax code, Tom was a dedicated and passionate outdoorsman. When his children were young, he was an active leader in their Boy Scout troop, participating in trips to the Bahamas, Northern Ontario, Colorado, Arizona and the Adirondacks. He maintained that he received more from those experiences than any of the scouts themselves. Tom's deepest passion was fishing; he traveled extensively throughout North America in hopes of catching trophy fishes, particularly trout. Trips to King Salmon, Alaska, The Yukon Territory, and Mazatlán were among his favorite destinations in recent years. He proudly displayed a collection of mounted fish in a dedicated room in his home in Wilmington, each one a testament to his skill, patience, and dedication as an angler.
During his last days, Tom was happy to gather with his children and grandchildren, who were his pride and joy. They were grateful to sit by his side and hear his advice – which he famously gave quite freely – and have him recount his most important and happiest moments. Among them were his extensive travels with his wife, Pat. Together, they visited all seven continents, and Tom held a special fondness for their trips to France, Antarctica, Africa, and Japan. He counted his travels as some of the most enjoyable and enriching experiences and encouraged his grandchildren to explore the world as he did.
Family, a belief in God's goodness, and education came first for Tom, who encouraged his family to read, to be well educated, to question, to honor God and to gather often to nurture strong family ties. He will be dearly missed.
A funeral service will be held on February 7 at 11:00 AM at Trinity Episcopal Church in Shelburne, VT.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Tom's memory. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Thomas, please visit our floral store.