Harley Eugene Taylor

Harley Eugene “Gene” Taylor
A Celebration of life for Harley Eugene Taylor will be held at 1:00 p.m. Thursday, December 18, 2014 at the First Baptist Church in Barnsdall with Brother Bill Lay and Larry Powell, officiating. Interment will follow in the Ethel Reece Cemetery under the direction of the Sien-Shelton Funeral Home.

Harley Eugene Taylor, age 88, of Barnsdall, died at 3:50 a.m. Sunday, December 14, 2014 at the St. John Medical Center in Tulsa due to injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident the previous week.

Gene was born on June 15, 1926 in Stigler, Oklahoma to William Harrison Taylor and Rosie Estelle (Morris) Taylor. The Taylor family moved to Barnsdall when Gene was very young. He was a longtime resident and active in many social organizations in Barnsdall. Gene graduated from Barnsdall High School in 1947 where he was voted President and most handsome of his senior class. Gene served as an airplane mechanic in the United States Navy during WWII.  He then went on to graduate from Oklahoma Agriculture and Mechanical School  which later became Oklahoma State University. Gene married Charlotte Parthina “Pat” Hurt on May 24, 1952 in Kansas and they made their home in Battle Creek, Nebraska where he taught new techniques of fertilizing and improvements in crop growth. They had four children; Jim, Clay, Clifford and Robin who were all born in Norfolk, Nebraska. In 1961 Gene moved his family back to Barnsdall and went to work selling cars for Doenges Brothers in Bartlesville. After much success there, he opened his own used car lot in Barnsdall. He then decided to move the family to Colorado but was offered a partnership at Gram Chevrolet if he would stay in Barnsdall. He accepted the partnership and later became full owner and changed the name to Taylor Chevrolet Company. He was extremely successful at selling cars, so much that he won several trips all over the United States and the World and would take members of his family with him. Gene and Barbara Howell were married in 1982 expanding Gene’s family tremendously. He and Bobbi resided in Barnsdall. When Chevrolet started closing some of the smaller dealerships he and his son Cliff moved to Pawhuska where they owned Taylor Chevrolet that later became Taylor Motors Inc., after they added Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth in 1988. The Pawhuska dealership was later sold, and they moved their partnership  and Taylor Motors Inc. to Skiatook.

Gene was active in the American Legion, Barnsdall Rotary, Barnsdall Chamber of Commerce, and served in many community projects through the years. Gene was president of the Oklahoma Highway Association and was responsible for getting Highway 60 to Ponca City and Highway 123 to Bartlesville built. Gene was a member of the First Baptist Church in Barnsdall where he was saved in 1965 and was actively attending First Baptist Church in Pershing at the time of his passing. Gene was a member of and highly recommended the Oklahoma Wrecker Owners Association and was contracted with AAA of Oklahoma for many years. He was always highly recommended for service. He was a licensed wrecker operator with the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety and Oklahoma Corporation Commission since 1965. He stated he never had a vehicle he didn’t recover.

Gene served his country in the Navy for four years which began during World War II. Gene raised his family with a firm hand and a lot of love. He spent a lot of time with his family; remembered most were the untold number of weekends of fishing and camping trips to Big Horse Falls. Gene was once asked in his business “Don’t you want to get rich?” He replied “No I just want to raise my kids to be good people.” Gene was also asked to be a state senator but he refused and said, “ I have a family to raise”.

Gene was preceded in death by parents; William “Bill” Taylor and Estelle “Rose” Taylor also by Charlotte ”Pat” Taylor and Bobby Joe Howell.

Gene is survived by his wife Barbara “Bobbi” Taylor, children; Jim Taylor and wife Bonnie (Ty, Luke,and Keena), Clay Taylor and wife Sandy  (Jessica, Aubrey, Kyndle and Sara), Cliff Taylor and wife Paula (Trevor and Madison), and Robin Chouteau and husband Mike (Acacia and Shay). Also, Tennie Sloan, Kenneth “Bubby” Howell, Dixie Hurd and Larry Howell.  Two sisters; Alene Webber, and Eunice Frank and husband Weldon, numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren, nieces and nephews and a host of other relatives and friends.

Casket escorts will be; Claude Rosendale, Eddie Fields, George Tillota, Joe Gilbert, Ron Price and Virgil Townley.  Honorary casket escorts will be; Horace Paslay, John Ayers, Mike Ray, Charlie Reeves and Phillip Rogers.

Music for the services will be; “How Great Thou Art” and “Amazing Grace”

Funeral services and interment are under the direction of the Sien-Shelton Funeral Home.

---