Dennis Lee Taylor

Dennis Lee Taylor, age 55, of Lawrence, Indiana, passed away on Thursday, April 25, 2003, in Indianapolis at Community North Hospital.  Dennis was born in Indianapolis on January 28, 1948, to his parents, Harold & Mary Viola (Cotter) Taylor. On January 27, 1973, Dennis married Nancy Zelena; they shared 17 years of marriage together raising a wonderful son, David.  Even though they decided it would be better to end their marriage, they remained close friends throughout the years.  

Dennis was a graduate of Lawrence Central High School, class of 1967. After high school, Dennis joined the workforce right away and began his career as a pipefitter at Citizens Gas & Coke Utility.  He loved his job, never missing a day of work; he worked there for over 30 years before retiring. 

When Dennis wasn’t at work, he was a homebody. He was a man of habit and stuck to the routine he created for himself. He was an early riser, even on the weekends.  Once he was up for the day, he loved nothing more than to be tinkering away in his garage or working in his yard or garden, always keeping busy. He would stay out of the house until suppertime and then he was in for the evening. He took great pride in making sure his lawn was well manicured and it showed; he always had the best-looking lawn in the neighborhood.  

To say Dennis was a hard worker is an understatement!  He could fix anything and passed that handy trait on to his son. Dave would sit in the garage for hours on end watching everything he did and listening to him explain the process. They would always have talk radio on in the background.     

As a child Dennis’ family would visit the upper peninsula of Michigan every year and he kept that tradition for his entire life, even when Dave was an infant. They shared so many memories from those trips from fishing, picking wild blueberries, finding snakes, seeing bears, moose and bald eagles, and hiking through the deep woods.  They spent many hours as a family hiking through the woods at Fort Harrison in Lawrence.  They would search out wildflowers, and hunt for morel mushrooms.  One time as they were walking through the woods Dennis & Dave pushed a small tree over and it just so happened to hit Nancy right over the head!  She wasn’t hurt but that is a memory none of them will over forget!  Dennis could be quite a character and one of those naturally funny people that didn’t have to put any effort into being funny, it just came easy to him; he passed that on to Dave as well.

Dennis was a quiet man.  He never had too much to say but when he did, it was worth listening to.  He was so kindhearted and had a soft spot for dogs.  He loved all dogs, especially his old companion of many years, Dusty Puppy.  Dusty went on many trips to Michigan with the family and would roam all over the woods. 

He was always a tough but supportive father.  He taught Dave many things over the years whether it was on the baseball field or in the garage.  His strong work ethic, passion for a pristine lawn, taking pride in anything he did, burning everything he cooked on the grill, and love of lure fishing rubbed off on Dave. Dennis was so proud of the man Dave grew to be.  He was excited to watch him become a husband and father and while he missed that by just one day, his family knows his spirit was there.  Dennis will always be with them in everything they do, and his memory (or legacy) will live on for generations to come as his grandchildren become fishermen, hard workers, kindhearted, gardeners, and particular about their routines just like their Grandpa Taylor was.   

Those left to carry on Dennis’ legacy of love are his son, David C. Taylor; daughter-in-law, Sarah R. Taylor; sister, Barbara J. (Earl) Clinton; and beloved friend, Nancy L. Stagno.

Dennis was welcomed into Heaven by his parents, Harold & Viola Taylor; and his brother, David J. Tungate who proudly served our country in the United States Army, passing away in Vietnam.   

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