Larry A. Taylor

Larry A. Taylor, 67, of Morganton passed away on Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at his residence after an extended illness. Born in Pearisburg, VA on February 4, 1946, he was the son of the late Carl William Taylor and Mary Bingham Taylor Greene. Larry graduated from Oak Hill High School and received his civil engineering degree from Gaston Tech. He was an assistant district engineer for Division 13 of the NC Dept. of Transportation for over 30 years and received the Long Leaf Pine Award for his service to the state. After his retirement he worked with FEMA for 10 years. He was also a veteran of the N. C. National Guard.Larry was a member of Oak Hill United Methodist Church. He was the Building Committee leader for the new M.P.A.C. building, was a trustee of the church, and was a member of the Mabel Harbison Sunday school class. Larry was also a member of the Oak Hill Ruritan Club where he had served as the Lieutenant District Governor and multiple terms as President. Larry also served as an Assistant Scout Master for Troop 199 and as Secretary-Treasurer for the Burke County Fair.Larry is survived by his wife of 42 years, Kaye Chapman Taylor of the home; sons, Wesley C. Taylor and his wife, Meg, and Nathan M. Taylor and his wife, Jenny, all of Morganton; grandchildren, Will, Drew, Max, Mary, and Kyle Taylor; his step-father, Ben Greene of Morganton; his sister, Ellen Juban and her husband, Jim, of Morganton; several nieces and nephews; his father-in-law, Merlie Chapman of Morganton; his sister-in-law, Joanne Beck and her husband, Jerry; and his brother-in-law, Andrew Chapman.In addition to his parents, Larry was preceded in death by his mother-in-law, Helen Chapman.The funeral will be held at 3:00 p.m., Saturday, April 27, 2013 at Oak Hill United Methodist Church with the Rev. David Lawrence officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery with military honors provided by the N.C. National Guard. The family will receive friends in the M.P.A.C. building at the church from 1:00 until 3:00 p.m. prior to the service. At other times the family will be at Larry and Kaye’s home.In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Oak Hill United Methodist Church Building Fund, 2239 NC 181, Morganton, NC 28655 or to Burke Hospice and Palliative Care, Inc., 1721 Enon Road, Valdese, NC 28690.Sossoman Funeral Home and Crematory Center is assisting the family with the arrangements.