Joe E. Taylor

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Joe E. Taylor, age 98, passed away peacefully Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024 at Autumn Haven Assisted Living in Rupert, Idaho.

He was born on Dec. 21, 1925 to Earl John Taylor and Helen Eliza (Miller) Taylor in Rives Junction, Michigan. Joe was the first of eleven children having five younger sisters and five younger brothers.

Joe was raised on the family farm and attended a country elementary school with his Aunt Effie being one of his teachers. He then went to Springport Junior High and graduated from Parma High School in 1944. After graduation, he worked for a railroad switch crew. In Feb. 1945 he joined the Army, completed basic training at Fort McClellan in Alabama and then served in the Philippines as a supply sergeant for the Army Air Force. He was honorably discharged in the spring of 1946.

Returning home, he met his future wife, Ann Trumble, at a basketball game. They were married Sept. 20, 1947 and in the following years were blessed with three sons - Mike, Denis, and Robert.

In 1954 the family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico as Ann needed a drier climate for her health. Joe worked in construction in Albuquerque and surrounding areas, and then El Paso, Texas. In 1961 they moved to Idaho, farming 2,200 acres west of Kimama. At this time, Joe was on the Idaho Potato Commission and an active member of the National Farming 0rganization (NFO). In 1971, when he was 46, Joe gradually began to lose his eyesight due to complications with cataract surgery and glaucoma . This ended his farming career but with the encouragement and support of Ann, he went to a veteran school for the blind in Tacoma. It was there he learned to read and type in braille and use a walking cane; skills that served him well in the coming years.

Returning home, L.B. Jardine gave him a job answering the phone and taking messages using a thin horizontal wire as a guideline on paper. The real estate business intrigued him so much that he enrolled in classes, tape-recorded the lessons, and studied. At age 49 in 1974 Joe launched his new career in real estate; a career that spanned 48 years filled with many achievements.

Sadly, in 1978 he lost his youngest son, Robert, in a car accident and in 1987 Ann (his wife of 40 years) passed away, but Joe continued on. He found a new hobby...restoring antique John Deere tractors. He spent many days with his sons and grandsons repairing and refurbishing these tractors and then cheering them on at the county fair tractor pulls. These were happy times filled with many memories.

In June, 1993 he married Ethel Windes who had also been widowed. They were married for 27 years working side-by-side in the real estate and rental business. Ethel passed away in 2020.

Joe is survived by his sons, Mike (Darla) Taylor of Rupert, ID and Denis (Ellen) Taylor of Twin Falls, ID; 6 grandchildren: Amy (Christian) Movius , Beth (Clayton) Ruhter , Rex (Shannon) Taylor, Clark (Correna) Taylor, Jill Taylor and Gail Taylor ; 10 great-grandchildren: Gabe, Megan, Kate, Andrea, Caleb, Emma, Ali, Cameron, Brenton and Amaya; Sisters & Brothers in Michigan: Mary Moe, Florence (Bob) 0sborne, Dorothy ( Roger) Brown, Ike (Sally) Taylor, Gilbert (Teresa) Taylor, and Tom (Gwen) Taylor of Huntley, Wyoming, and brother-in-law Jim Trumble of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his wife Ann (of 40 years) and his wife Ethel (of 27 years), his son, Robert Taylor, parents: Earl and Helen Taylor, sisters & their spouses: Katherine & Hugo Zurich, Yvonne & Bill Allen, brothers & their spouses: Paul & Phyllis Taylor, Matt & Eleanor Taylor, and a brother-in-law Van Moe.

A special thank you to Tiffany for all the care and comfort given to Joe these past 4 years as his home health and hospice nurse. Also, many thanks to Alexes and the staff at Autumn Haven Assisted Living for the love and care given to Joe these past 6 months.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Joe's memory can be made to the Golden Heritage Senior Center , P.0. Box 395, Burley, ID 83318.

A remembrance and celebration of Joe's life will be held 2:00 p.m. Saturday, February 17, 2024 at Morrison Payne Funeral Home located on 321 East Main St., Burley , Idaho with his grandson, Reverend Clark Taylor, officiating. The viewing will be held 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Friday, February 16, 2024 at Morrison Payne Funeral Home, and an hour prior to the funeral service. Services will conclude with burial at the Paul Cemetery in Paul, Idaho. Arrangements are under the direction of Morrison Payne Funeral Home.

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