Obituary of Kenneth "Ken" Taylor

The family of Ken Taylor is deeply saddened to announce his passing, peacefully, at the age of 88. Ken was the beloved partner of Diana; the proud father of Kenny (Kendra) and Lori; the cherished Papa of Jaden, Theo, and Andre; a dear friend of Inga, Margaret, Scott, and Jim; and an uncle of many nieces and nephews in Canada and England. He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Ellen, and his brother, Gordon. Ken grew up in Haltwhistle and Carlisle, England, where as a kid he enjoyed playing soccer and working on his uncle's farm-two passions that would stay with him for life. He'd taken up smoking and shooting guns before the age of 10. (By the age of 58, he'd quit both-and briefly began skiing.) In his early twenties, he served as a cook in the British Royal Air Force. When asked if he was also trained in combat, he quipped, "Well, I wasn't just gonna throw eggs at them!" In his later years, he went back to egg slinging, this time in the kitchen of the Royal Canadian Legion Br. 594, where he served weekend breakfasts and spaghetti dinners. He was also an executive member on the Legion's Ways & Means committee, a post he relished in the company of his friends and comrades. Ken was a military history enthusiast and enjoyed lonnnnnng drives across the midwestern and southern states in search of battlefields, monuments, and breathtaking landscapes. He never met a gift shop he didn't love. He was also an entrepreneur, and turned his beloved hobbies of model-toy collecting and playing darts into his livelihood. And he was nothing if not hard-working: After officially retiring at 65, he continued to operate a lawn-care service in Windsor and Amherstburg for another 20 years, much to the annoyance of his neighbours, who reported him to the local authorities for running what they assumed was a small-engine repair shop out of his tool shed. (He was just cleaning his lawnmowers, it turned out.) He was kind-hearted, generous, understanding, fun-loving, supportive, good-humoured, and reliable. He was also, at times, a lively restaurant critic, to the point to which the phrase "Where's the manager?!" became a running joke within the family. The staffs of Applebee's, Arby's, and Red Lobster-particularly those working the all-you-can-eat shrimp nights-were generally spared, as were the servers at Tim Horton's, whose coffee he had an unquenchable thirst for. We'll all miss him terribly. Following cremation and an online memorial service, Ken will rest on the coast of North East England and in Southwestern Ontario, two places he proudly called home. In lieu of flowers, donations in his honour may be made to the Royal Canadian Legion Poppy Fund. Arrangements entrusted to SIMPLE CHOICE (Dougall) 519-254-2585. Online condolences and cherished memories may be shared with the family at www.simplechoicecremation.ca.