Obituaries

Dwain Houston Taylor

Photo of Dwain  Houston Taylor
Dwain Houston "Red" Taylor was born in Wolfe City, Texas on April 18, 1924 to Edgar Earl Taylor and Mayme Maybelle Cooper. His parents and one sibling Sidney Edward Taylor preceded him in death and has one surviving sister, Dorene Craig of Longview, Texas. He married his childhood sweetheart, Mollye Anne McWhirter on June 7, 1945 and they had four girls; Deborah Ann Whillock (Kenneth), Connie Marie Richardson (Tim), Rusty Taylor and Jigger Rogers (Paul). He is also survived by seven grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren and numerous friends and relatives. Sonny, to his family, but "Red" Taylor to his friends, lived 91 years on this blue-green sphere and on May 31, 2015 began a new adventure. He spent a good portion of his life far away from his beloved mountain top farm in Dennard, Arkansas. Shortly after graduation from Wolfe City, (Texas) High School in 1942, Red joined the Merchant Marines and remained there until WWII ended in 1945. During his time as a merchant mariner he served on cargo ships in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. His first convoy was from Lock Ewe, Scotland to Murmansk, Russia. Shortly after D-Day he was on a merchant ship delivering supplies to the Allied invasion forces. Then it was back to the United States and a different ship headed to the Panama Canal and the Pacific. Starting in Australia his ships delivered supplies to New Guinea, New Britain, several of the Philippines Islands including Mindanao and Luzon, and finally Japan where his ship was in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese signed the surrender document aboard the UUS Missouri on September 2, 1945. He worked pipeline and dam construction until his retirement from the Alaskan Pipeline after Mollye had a heart attack in 1984. Red and Mollye traveled most of their married life throughout the United States and South American and he was proud to say he had been "around the world." He always returned to the one place he loved and proud to call home, Dennard, Arkansas. While working in Alaska he managed to build the Fort Bar T Country Store in Dennard, which Mollye ran, until his retirement. They spent the remainder of his retirement until Mollye's death in 2007 camping and enjoying life. They both loved helping their friends and neighbors in need and were rewarded with much love and friendship. Red was known far and wide for his generosity and love of children. And while in South America he dressed in a homemade Santa suit and distributed gifts to children in the remote villages in several countries. When he was in Dennard the month of December was spent standing on the side of Highway 65 in his driveway, in his Santa suit (and Mollye as Mrs. Claus) handing out candy canes and apples to passersbys. They took pride in decorating their house and yard in lights that caught the attention of the Arkansas Times and the Arkansas Democrat Newspaper. Red was loved by all for his generosity and compassion and will be missed by all who were touched by his life. Visitation will be Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at Roller-McNutt Funeral Home from 5-7 p.m. in Clinton, Arkansas and Funeral Service will be Thursday, June 4, 2015 at 2 pm at the Leslie Methodist Church in Leslie, Arkansas with burial following at the Dennard Cemetery. He would want any acts of kindness to go to the Friends of Special People 390 Factory Rd. Clinton, Arkansas 72031, or your favorite charity. Funeral arrangements under the care and direction of Roller-McNutt Funeral Home in Clinton, Arkansas.

Published June 3, 2015

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