Lewis Jerome Taylor Jr. - Obituary [Virginian-Pilot, 2011]

Published by The Virginian-Pilot on Feb. 24, 2011 - Link

Lewis J. Taylor Jr. NORFOLK - The Rev. Lewis Jerome Taylor Jr., husband of the late Pauline Green Taylor and father to five, died in Virginia Beach Feb. 21, 2011, after a brief illness, the day before his 88th birthday.

The Rev. Taylor, who was known as "Jay" to family and friends, always sought an engaged and authentic life. He was a beloved member of a large family of Taylors and Tazewells with deep roots in Hampton Roads.

The Rev. Taylor was the oldest son and second born to Lewis Jerome Taylor Sr. and Roberta Newton Taylor. He graduated with honors from Granby High School in 1941 and from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1944.

He experienced combat in the Pacific aboard the USS Bataan and after the war earned his wings as a naval aviator.

After leaving active duty, the Rev. Taylor did post-graduate work at Johns Hopkins University and worked with his father-in-law in agriculture in Clarke County before being called back to active duty for the Korean War.

He again left active duty but continued as a Naval Reserve officer, eventually retiring with the rank of commander.

The Rev. Taylor felt the call to the ministry while working as partner with his father in the insurance business in Norfolk. He attended Seabury Western Theological Seminary from which he graduated summa cum laude.

The Rev. Taylor found the opportunity for an engaged and authentic life in the ministry, which he pursued with great energy for nearly 50 years as an Episcopal priest, theological scholar and prison chaplain.

He served for two years as the assistant rector at Williamsburg's Bruton Parish Church and as the Episcopal Chaplain at The College of William and Mary, before accepting the challenge of starting a new church in Virginia Beach, St. Aiden's Episcopal Church.

The Rev. Taylor was known at St. Aidan's as a tireless and scholarly priest whose sermons challenged parishioners to listen hard and think deeply about their own search for God's presence in everyday life.

In 1968, his personal search took him to Duke University where he pursued his interest in the Christian existen- tialism of Soren Kierkegaard and the insights of the Louisiana novelist and philosopher Walker Percy, with whom he developed a warm friendship and correspondence.

The Rev. Taylor earned the Doctor of Philosophy degree in systematic theology in 1971, with his dissertation titled "The Becoming of the Self in the Writings of Walker Percy: A Kierkegaardian Analysis," which he later published as a book titled "In Search of Self: Life, Death and Walker Percy."

After graduation, the Rev. Taylor became a professor at Saint Andrew's Theological Seminary in Manila in the Philippines. In 1977, the Rev. Taylor returned to the United States and the Diocese of Newark, New Jersey, where he served again as a parish priest and founded another mission church, in Chester.

The Rev. Taylor retired from fulltime parish ministry in 1985 and returned to Virginia Beach where he served as interim rector at several parishes and as chaplain at the Indian Creek Correctional Center in Chesapeake, while still pursuing his scholarly research and writing.

The Rev. Taylor's life of search, authentic engagement and fulfillment found crucial support in his marriage with Polly Taylor. Together they raised three sons, Lewis J. Taylor III, Michael R. Taylor and John B. Taylor; and two daughters, Mary Frances Ridley Vince and Joan Elizabeth Taylor.

Mr. Taylor is survived by his five children and their spouses, Lynn Roth Taylor, Christine Lewis Taylor, Cherin Cross Taylor and Ronald Vince; and by his older sister, Elizabeth (Betsy) Tazewell and younger brother, William B. Taylor. His youngest brother, Rev. Robert P. Taylor, died in 1999.

The Rev. Taylor is also survived by his grand- children, Lewis J. Taylor IV, Jennifer Taylor, Franklin Taylor, Sara Taylor, Bethany Taylor Etgen, Daniel Taylor, Kyle Vince, David Vince and Tyler Taylor; and his great-grandchildren, Mei-Lian Vader, An-Lian Vader, Robert Taylor, Lindsay Taylor, Emily Etgen, Alex Etgen, Carter Etgen, and Jonas Taylor.

The family extends its thanks to the Atlantic Shores Retirement Community for its kind and capable care. The funeral will be held Sunday, Feb. 27, at 1 p.m. in All Saints Episcopal Church, 1969 Woodside Lane, Virginia Beach. Visitation will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26, in H.D. Oliver Funeral Apts., 2002 Laskin Road, Virginia Beach. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Samaritan House, P.O. Box 2400 No. 226 Virginia Beach, VA 23450