Clyde Taylor

Clyde E. Taylor passed away peacefully on September 13, 2018 at the age of 94 at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota, after being stricken by an undiagnosed cause two days earlier. Clyde was born on December 15, 1923 in Jermyn, Pennsylvania. He grew up in nearby Tompkinsville and attended Scott Township High School, graduating in 1940 at the top of his class. He subsequently went to work at IBM as a tool and die maker. At the beginning of the US involvement in WWII, he enlisted in the Army Air Corp and became a fighter pilot who flew missions into Germany from his base in England in the famous P51 Mustang fighter plane. He was credited with nine enemy fighter plane kills and in 1945 at the age of only 21, received the Distinguished Service Cross for this valiant accomplishment. After the war he resumed his job at IBM in Endicott, New York. In 1946 he married Phyllis Campbell, with whom he had become acquainted through war time correspondence. Clyde and Phyllis had three children: James Robert, Lee George and Susan Jane. In 1957, Clyde transferred to the newly built IBM facility in Rochester, Minnesota as a department manager. He retired from IBM in 1986 after 44 years of successful employment. In 1998, his beloved wife, Phyllis, died. Clyde lived a quiet, decent life; he was generous to his family and was admired and respected by his many friends and colleagues. He played golf into his nineties, was very active in Kiwanis, and volunteered his time to charitable organizations. He gave blood to the blood bank over 100 times and was officially recognized by them for this generosity. He is survived by his children, five grand children and three great grandchildren. He is deeply missed by them and by his many friends. The funeral service will be at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 22, 2018, at Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Homes, 5421 Royal Place NW, Rochester MN 55901, with the visitation one hour prior. Interment will be on Monday, September 24, 2018 in Oakwood Cemetery in Rochester, Minnesota.