James E. Taylor Obituary (1947 - 2015)

James E. Taylor, 68, of Bloomington, died at 3:14 a.m. on Monday, October 12, 2015 at his home.Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, October 16, 2015 at St. Patrick Church in Bloomington, with Rev. Ric Schneider officiating. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday at Carmody-Flynn Funeral Home, Bloomington. Cremation rites have been accorded. The family would like to invite family and friends to a Celebration of Jims Life from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, following services, at Western Tap, 1301 N. Western Ave, Bloomington. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The American Cancer Society or Heart of Illinois A.B.A.T.E. The family requests casual attire for the visitation and services.To express condolences online, please visit www.carmodyflynn.com.He was born March 11, 1947 in Bloomington, son of Donald E. and Barbara Jean Strange Taylor. He married Laura Hopkins on February 19, 1968 in Corning, Ark.Surviving are his wife, Laura, of Bloomington; his children, Christopher Taylor, Jason Taylor and Shanon K. Taylor, all of Bloomington; grandchildren, Brendan and Jayden Taylor, Bailey Taylor and Dahlton, Julian and Ozlyn Eutsey. Also surviving are his siblings, Barbra (Ron) Baker, Debbie (Dale) Baker, Cindy Omstead, Tina (Billy) Crow, Connie Hall, Nancy Aabert, Teresa Hall, Kathy Taylor, Rev. Ed (Kris) Taylor, Kim (Dan) Weber and Penny (Don) Darnall. He also leaves behind many nieces and nephews who will greatly miss him.He was preceded in death by his parents; his step-father, Frank Hall; his step-mother, Velma Taylor and two brothers, Tim Hall and Mickey Taylor.He is a United States Army Veteran, during the Vietnam era.Jim attended Bloomington High School and he retired from Caterpillar Inc. in East Peoria as a welder.He loved to ride his Harley Davidson and was a member of Heart of Illinois A.B.A.T.E. Motorcycle Club. He also enjoyed NASCAR and anything to do with racing. He was an avid Chicago Bears fan, but above anything else, enjoyed his time with his family and friends, especially his grandchildren.