Larry Dean Taylor

Larry Dean Taylor, age 81, of Coon Rapids passed away on Monday, January 7, 2019 at his home in Coon Rapids.

Funeral service will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Friday, January 11, 2019 at the First United Methodist Church in Coon Rapids with Rev. Joyce Webb officiating.  Organist for the service will be Lula Garnes and soloist will be Marcia Young.  Casket bearers will be grandsons: Matt Taylor, Reece Taylor, and Alex Ritter and nephews: Kevin Andersen, Chris Andersen, Jeff Andersen, Brad Andersen, Terry Bell and Michael Rumelhart.  Burial will be in the Union Township Cemetery near Coon Rapids.

Friends may call at the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Coon Rapids from 5 – 7 P.M. on Thursday.  The casket will be moved to the church at 9:30 A.M. on Friday where visitation will resume until 10:15 A.M.   Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home of Coon Rapids and online condolences may be left for the family at www.dahnandwoodhouse.com

Larry was the son of Paul and Thelma (Battles) Taylor. He was born February 20, 1937 in Jefferson, IA. He grew up on the family farm in rural Greene County, IA. He attended country schools and graduated from Jefferson High School in 1956. Following high school, he worked on the family farm and for local construction companies. In 1958 he began his career with the then Iowa Conservation Commission working predominately in the engineering division. In 1959, he was united in marriage to Marilyn Joyce Andersen at Willow Street Methodist Church in Ottumwa by Rev. Cecil Latta. In the early years, his work led the couple to live in Bayard and Garner before settling in Coon Rapids in 1966. Larry traveled the state working on projects to build or develop many of the state’s lakes, parks, wildlife areas and recreational resources. One of Larry’s earliest projects was the building of the Spirit Lake Fish Hatchery. He was passionate about Iowa’s natural resources and working with his friends and colleagues at the DNR to develop them for enjoyment of the people of the state. Larry’s last major project was the construction of Brushy Creek Lake and State Recreation Area. Iowa Governor Terry Branstad made a special presentation to Larry at the Brushy Creek Lake dedication “for his outstanding leadership, dedication and hard work which was instrumental in the development of the Brushy Creek Recreation Area”. On December 13, 2001, the Iowa Natural Resources Commission dedicated the island on the lake as “Taylor Island”. After a career spanning 42 years, hundreds of projects and millions of road miles, he retired to enjoy the outdoors with his family and summers at their cabin on Big Spirit Lake.

Left to cherish Larry’s memory are his wife of nearly 60 years, Marilyn of Coon Rapids; his children: Scott (Nancy) Taylor of Estherville, Jane (Karl) Ritter of Wichita Falls, TX, David (Melissa) Taylor of Webster City; grandchildren: Matt (fiancée Cassandra O’Shea), Reece Taylor, Livia Taylor, Kathryn (Andy) Jochems and Alexander Ritter; a brother Eugene (Carol) Taylor of Sun City West, AZ; a sister Sharon Bell of Ankeny; sisters-in-law: Loretta (Roger) Rumelhart of Coon Rapids and Karen (Jerry) Colbert of Coon Rapids; and many loved nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, sister, Alice, father-in-law, Chris Andersen, mother-in-law, Beulah Andersen and brothers-in-law, Bill, Jerry and Dick Andersen.