David S. Taylor

1929 - 2008

David S. Taylor, 79, of Charleston, W.Va., passed away Saturday, July 12, 2008. David spent his last four months in Roanoke, Va., with family fighting and ultimately succumbing to a neurological disorder called Shy-Dragger Syndrome. David was born in 1929, in Cleveland, Ohio. Preceding him in death were his first wife, Sally Ramsey, and second wife Betty Mueller. He was the son of the late Charles McIntire and Marjorie Underwood Taylor. He moved to Huntington, W.Va., when he was nine years old so that his father, an engineer with the United States Army Corps of Engineers, could work on the Huntington Flood Wall. David attended public schools in Huntington, W.Va., and college at Cornell University, earning a Civil Engineering Degree in 1952. After college he spent fours years in the U.S. Air Force as a Jet Fighter Pilot. David then spent 18 years with Kenneth M. Dunn Construction Company and 15 years as owner of Taylor and Striegel, Inc. doing utility construction work. During his years in the construction business he continued to be active in the WV Air National Guard as a pilot and ultimately reached the rank of Brigadier General. He retired from the Air National Guard in 1986 and from the construction business in 2002. He is survived by brother and sister-in-law, John and Grace Taylor, of Phoenix; son and daughter-in-law, Steve and Beth Taylor, from Charlotte, N.C.; son and daughter-in-law, Greg and Ginny Taylor, of Roanoke, Va.; son, Jed Taylor, from Ashland, Ore.; stepson and stepdaughter-in-law, Greg and Tanya Chapman, of Clearwater, Fla.; stepdaughter and stepson-in-law, Kelly and Rob Pelfrey, from Zephyrhills, Fla.; and grandchildren, Danny (22), Allison (20), Stephen (19), Wilson (16), Trey (14), Emily (9), and Matthew (7); and step grandchildren, Greg Chapman (42), Tara Peabody (18), and Victoria Pelfrey (8); and step great-grandchild, Kevin (1). David was an Eagle Scout and a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Charleston, W.Va. David's wishes were to donate his body to the West Virginia University Human Gift Registry. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society. A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. Friday, July 25, 2008 at the 130th Airlift Wing of the Air National Guard Base, Coonskin Dr., Charleston. Adequate notice will be given prior to the service.