John "Jack" Taylor

John “Jack” William Taylor, veteran and loving father, grandfather, great-grandfather of Coeur d’Alene, passed away February 10, 2022 at the age of 84. He was the husband of Donna Lee (Green) Taylor and they shared 62 years of marriage together.

Born in Long Beach, California, he was the son of Paul Taylor and Gertrude Adelman and grew up in Wilmington, California. He attended Gulf Avenue Elementary, Saints Peter & Paul, Wilmington Junior High School, Banning High School, and L.A. Harbor College.

Jack played football and baseball, and was a member of many service clubs. He married his high school sweetheart Donna August 6, 1960 at Saints Peter & Paul Catholic church. He served in the U.S. Army in California and Alaska, reaching the rank of Sergeant E6. He also worked at and managed Rolf’s Sporting Goods for many years. He was employed at TRW Aerospace for 25 years, retiring as Division Facilities Manager for the Space Communication Division in 1992.

After retiring to Coeur d’Alene in 1992, he and Donna spent many years traveling in their motorhome; he was a member of the Newmar Kountry Klub. He was a member of St. Thomas Church, and a member of BPOE Elks for 40 years, most recently at Hayden Eagles Lodge #4080.

Jack was a role model for his grandchildren, and a constant presence in their lives. He never missed sports games, graduations, weddings, musical performance, or anything else that was important to them. He loved sharing his life experiences and telling stories, particularly reminiscing about his time in the Army.

He is preceded in death by father Paul Taylor, mother Gertrude Taylor, brother Thomas Taylor, grandparents William Adelman, Margaret Adelman and Edda Taylor.

He is survived by his wife Donna Lee (Green) Taylor, his 3 daughters and son-in-laws: Kathy Fremgen (Alan), Debbie Haley (Tim), Barbara Patton (Mark), his 10 grandchildren (and spouses): Laura Brownlee (Sam), Bradley Fremgen, Montana Patton (Adrian), Danny Haley (Jenna), Bryan Haley, Marquel Norman (Max), Sarah Ayala (A.J.), Matthew Fremgen, McCoy Patton, Mallory Patton, two great-granddaughters Charlie Ayala and Rae Ayala (with two more great grandchildren on the way), and two brothers George and Carl.

In Jack’s words, to express how important his family was to him: “Box score: 3 daughters, 3 son-in-laws, 6 grandsons, 4 granddaughters, 2 great-granddaughters.”

A funeral mass will be held on February 16 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Thomas Church, with a rosary preceding the mass at 10:30. Following the mass, there will be a reception in the St. Thomas Church Center and a graveside burial at Riverview Cemetery at 1:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made on behalf of Jack Taylor to Newby-Ginnings in Post Falls, Idaho, which supports military veterans and their families.