Kirk L Taylor, Jr of 910 Marshall St, Roanoke Rapids, NC, died Thursday, July 20, 2023. He was born to Sadie Harrel and Kirk L Taylor, Sr in Tarboro, NC on July 2, 1925. "The span of our life is 70 years, or 80 if one is especially strong." (Psalm 90:10) Brother Taylor lived to be 98 years old. By this measure, he was a man of exceptional strength.

He dedicated his life to Jehovah God and on August 19, 1966, he was baptized along with his oldest son as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. He was a longtime preacher of the good news in the area and served as an Elder for the local congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses for some fifty years.

Many years before that he served in the Navy during World War Two. After that, he married Dawn Shearin in 1947 and they shared their life together for 72 years until her death in 2019. During this time he first worked for Elmo Garner Jewelers, after which he was employed by the Postal Service until his retirement in 1984. But he would be quick to tell you that all during this time and afterward his true vocation was the ministry to which he had been assigned by Christ Jesus.

Brother Taylor was known for direct speech and straightforward counsel. Some might say he was obstinate and stubborn, but the English language also affords the words resolute and determined. Beneath that was a fatherly concern and generosity to a fault. He truly loved others as a father and a brother.

He is survived by his three children, Dawn T Sewell (Kirk), Kirk L Taylor, III (Wanda), and Stephen R Taylor (Connie), one Sister, Elsie T Webb, 12 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-grandchild, as well as many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 5, 2023, at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, 589 NC (Hwy) 48, Roanoke Rapids, NC. Jeff Haislip will be officiating.