Carlos Taylor

Carlos Vern Taylor, age 86, passed away in the early morning hours on November 27, 2023. Carlos was surrounded by loving family members in his own home, as he would have wished. Carlos had suffered a brief but fatal session with cancer that ended his devoted life.

Carlos Vern Taylor was an exceptional, one-of-a-kind person. He was born in 1937 in Mesa, Arizona to Carl Hicks Taylor and Agnes Lucille Taylor.

In 1954 he joined the reserves for the Marines and was honorably discharged on April 14, 1959. Carlos graduated from Weber High School in 1955. During those years in school, he met the love of his life, Valerie Jean Wright. They met as young teenagers, but their early devotion turned into an incredible marriage of 67 years. Val still has many little love letters, folded into one inch squares that Carlos sent to her. They were married in 1956 in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. They went on to have four children, Tammy, Judy, Ken, and Carl.

Carlos was a dedicated, hardworking man true to his family and values. He began his career in construction, working with Mack Madsen and then Art Christiansen. He later bought out Art to run his own excavating business. This later became Carlos Taylor & Sons where he worked with his sons plowing snow and doing parking lot sweeping and landscape maintenance.

He was also a man with other goals. He loved horses and riding. Carlos, with Val, and the kids, became involved in Junior Posse and the Little Buckaroos Rodeo Club. Carlos and Val then moved on to become the adult advisors for the Spikers High School Rodeo which led Carlos to be the advisor to the state High School Rodeo program. He gave his heart to teaching and encouraging the youth, and many would later say “he turned my life around.” Carlos and his daughters became great competitors. In 1977 he became the high point man of the Utah State Western Riding Association. Carlos also coached his daughters in the Appaloosa Show circuit with great success on their favorite Appaloosa named Pawnee. Carlos was also proud of his daughters who, after their many years of riding, went on to win many rodeo queen titles. With all that, his work wasn’t over. Before retiring, his passion for riding led him to work as a cowboy on many ranches, where he rode the other true love, his trusted mule named “Rowdy”. He became an actor and also a professional model. He also rode with the Coldwater Gang performing western shootout shows in many locations all over the state of Utah. After retiring, Carlos and Val finally left their home in Willard and settled in Kanab, the final home of an adventurous couple.

Carlos is survived by his wife, Valerie and their children, Judy (Paul) Madsen, Ken (Janae) Taylor and Carl (Camille) Taylor as well as his brother, Merv Taylor and his mule, “Rowdy,” who is now 33 years old and retired to the care of Paul and Judy. He was a proud grandfather and great-grandfather. His seven grandchildren are Nicole, Nate, Jase, Shawney, Bo, Ali and Kirby. Carlos was preceded in death by his eldest daughter, Tammy, and his siblings, Ray, Beverly, and Marva.

The family will hold a graveside service at 2:45 p.m. They send their appreciation to the friends thinking of them in their loss.

Carlos will be laid to rest on Saturday, December 2, 2023, at Lindquist’s Washington Heights Memorial Park, 4500 Washington Blvd., South Ogden.