Although he held many interests, such as business, hunting and farming - family was first in his mind - and held a special place in his heart.

Born in Wayne County, N.C., Mr. Taylor died at the age of 50 on Thursday, June 2, 1994 at the family farm. A resident of 2389 Stevens Mill Road, Goldsboro, N.C., he was co-owner of Seymour Funeral Home Inc., Tyndall Funeral Home, Rouse Funeral Home and was a general partner of Taylor Farms.

A son of the late Esther Daniels and Raymond W. Taylor, he grew up in the country at Hood Swamp, N.C., just outside of Goldsboro. His family could only have a very modest lifestyle.

Mr. Taylor’s father worked for Motor Bearings Co. Battery Co. while his mother was a clerk at the Diana Shop in downtown Goldsboro and also served as a sitter for the elderly.

There were little frills in his younger life. Christmas gifts were fruit and maybe one toy.

"He always told us he did not grow up with the things we enjoyed in our childhood,’’ said Brian, his son.

Attending Goldsboro High School, Mr. Taylor found himself daily migrating to the Seymour Funeral Home where he did odd jobs for no pay. It was working at the funeral home where he grew a fondness for the industry and decided he wanted to become a funeral director. Even in those early days his goal was to be the premier funeral director in the greater Goldsboro area.

Graduating high school in June 1962, he married the love of his life, Sylvia Hollowell, on Dec. 22, 1963. He attended Mt. Olive College in Mt. Olive, N.C., and with little money in his pocket he left for Gupton-Jones Mortuary School of Science in 1963. The Dallas, Texas, school was one of a handful of mortuary schools in the nation at the time.

After graduating from mortuary school in 1965, he returned to Seymour Funeral Home where he further honed his skills. He was not a man of means then as he only had two suits in his closet.

Five years later Carl Motley retired as president of Seymour Funeral Home and Mr. Taylor and Ben Strickland became stockholders in the business. After the death of I.T. Seymour, it left Mr. Taylor and Ben Strickland as the sole owners.

Running a funeral home business in those days was far different than today. Answering machines were unheard of then so someone had to stay at the home just in case the phone rang.

Also raising a family at the same time, Mr. Taylor longed for the country and bought a 60-acre farm in nearby Grantham, N.C., where he moved his family. At first the family raised cattle, horses, hogs and at one point had 27,000 chickens. He decided to get out of chicken farming and concentrate on raising the other three animals.

Attacking the challenge of farming, Mr. Taylor was just as successful with this as he was with his funeral home business. With the help of his family, hog production on the farm has grown to the point where it sells between 800 to 1,000 pigs a week.

"As he got older he would prefer to be on the farm than in a suit,’’ Brian said.

He left little doubt that he was strong on discipline.

"I remember when we first moved out to the family farm my two brothers, sister and I were all fighting,’’ recalled Lynn, Mr. Taylor’s son. "My mother threatened to call my dad if we didn’t stop fighting.’’

Mrs. Taylor followed through with her threat.

"He showed up 20 minutes later,’’ Lynn said.