Date of death: 5/22/2023
Saint Meinrad Class: O 1978
Gary Anthony Taylor was called home on May 22, 2023. He was predeceased by his parents, William and Alice Taylor, his infant brother Thomas, his twin sister, Mary Alice Payne, and his brothers William and Michael.
Remaining to cherish his memory are his wife of 43 years, Kristina Frisz Taylor, his children, Jessica Taylor, Rebekah May (Geoff), Josiah (Brother Felix Maria), Micah Taylor (Zoee) and his grandchildren Harper and Keaton Taylor. His surviving siblings are Robert Taylor (Patricia), Nancy Pond (Richard), David Taylor (Mary Ellen), Kathy Davis (Jefferson) and Doloris Taylor.
Gary, a proud Army “Military Brat” was born in Nuremberg, Germany, November 24, 1950, the fourth of six sons in a family of ten children. He graduated from Pacelli High School in Columbus, Georgia in 1968. His undergraduate degree in Religious Studies was completed at Immaculate Conception Seminary, in 1974. He earned his Master’s in Theological Studies in 1986, at Saint Meinrad Seminary, Saint Meinrad, Indiana. He achieved his Doctoral Degree at the Graduate Theological Institute, Mishawaka, Indiana in 2004.
Gary thrived as a lay minister for the Catholic Church for over forty years. He shared with his family how blessed and humbled he was accepting from Archbishop Tobin of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis the appointment of Parish Life Coordinator for St. Charles Parish in Milan, Indiana. He felt this assignment to be his calling. Among his many duties as PLC, his greatest joy and sense of accomplishment were in the opportunities to teach the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RIA) to those seeking to know more about and desiring to enter the Catholic Church, and guiding parents through the sacramental preparation for the Sacrament of Baptism for their children.
Gary was an innately happy man, grateful for all with which the Lord deemed to bless him. He had a strong work ethic and found great joy in the inspired things of life. He loved and valued his family. He enjoyed the solidarity and strong sense of mutual support and love in the “Taylor Tribe.” Gary also enjoyed writing, gardening, working, and spending time with his family and his animals.
For Gary, Jesus was and is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Above all else he sought to purify himself of sin and to receive and rest in mutual love with the Lord God; always seeking a greater and more intimate union with the Divine Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Those who knew Gary benefited profoundly from his example of Love and Service. We now share in his Joy as he sits at the Banquet Table of the Lord.