Gary Duane Taylor

JanJanuary 17^th, 1969 • AprApril 9^th, 2026

Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Gary Duane Taylor

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My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." - Psalm 73:26

Obituary

With deep sadness, we announce the passing of Gary Taylor, who was born on January 17, 1969 and passed away on April 9, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. His battle with colon cancer lasted 18 months

Gary was a southerner at heart and was born in Virginia. He was raised by his loving parents, Dwight and Phyllis Taylor. He met the love of his life while studying at East Tennessee State University. Gary and Beverly started their life together in Tennessee, but soon found their way to North Carolina. They raised two children, Ty and Kaley, in North Carolina and made Raleigh their home for almost 20 years.

Gary was known for his amazing culinary talents. If you visited Gary and Beverly, you were sure to enjoy one of the best meals of your life. His sense of humor made you want to stay a little longer.

Eventually, Gary found his true passion and an amazing career in teaching. His students absolutely loved him and would visit his classroom every chance they could. He always said he would teach them math and science, but he would teach them many other things about life. He left a lasting impact on so many middle schoolers and will be missed more than words can say.

Gary and Beverly spent the last five years living and teaching in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. This small resort town was Gary’s dream location. He loved the mountains, the winter weather, hiking, biking, and all that Steamboat had to offer. He truly lived in his version of paradise for the last five years of his life. He spent numerous hours walking our husky, Libra. This amazing community welcomed us and made us feel like we had been there forever. We will never forget the loving, generous, kind people of Steamboat and SSMS.

Please use this site to write a message to Gary and/or Beverly. Share fun memories and stories. Post a photo or video. Don’t forget to come back and read what others have to say. This site will remain active forever and be here for you to feel connected.

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April 12, 2026

I had Mr. Taylor as my seventh grade teacher, but he was so much more than that to us. Mr. Taylor left a lasting impact on me and he taught me so many lessons I’ll take with me for the rest of my life. He had such a passion for teaching that inspired everyone in the class. He would be so exited to teach us every day and he never failed to make us all laugh. One of my favorite things to look back on is how many inside jokes we had. One that comes to mind is the when he told us he was trying to convince his daughter to name his granddaughter Wolfgang (no surprise that one didn’t make her top ten). Or how much he loved funny car videos like on the first day of school in his class when he was laughing so hard he started crying while watching one. In addition, Mr. Taylor was able to make a personal connection with every one of his students. Every day even after seventh grade was over me all his other past students would come to visit him before their classes started just to talk about how life was going. I am truly grateful to have had his guidance in my life and his impact went far beyond his classroom. I know every one of the students he ever had will carry on his kindness, humor, and passion with them for the rest of their lives.
A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning. -Brad Henry

Chloe Wilson

April 12, 2026

Many of my memories of Gary are from when I was much much younger but there are a few core memories i will remember with him. I’ve been best friends with his daughter since I was 8. There were many times we’d ride in his jeep to tumbling class and would get mcdonald’s in the morning. Very shortly after I became best friends with his daughter, I’ll never forget Gary and my dad hitting it off and trying to convince our young, gullible selves that they knew each other before we met and wrestled gorillas together. They always gave these tales to us that we truly believed. I will also never forget how much he loved and joked about aliens and bigfoot. He would always send me random texts of just an alien emoji when i was younger. if ya know, ya know! He will forever hold a place in my heart as almost a second dad to me.

Gianna Lancaster

April 12, 2026

One of my favorite memories is being on the phone with Beverly and Gary always making bird sounds. It never failed. He always did it. It always made me laugh and even though I wasn’t on the phone with him- I was on the phone with him too.
So many memories of hanging at the NC house- we hung in the kitchen often and Gary would always stand. I would often say, don’t you want to sit lol. Nope. He loved to stand- for hours we would all just hang out and chat. His cooking was the absolute best! Our families have spent dinners together, checking out his Delorean, getting veggies from his garden, Super Bowls, and hanging at the Cellar.
I always felt welcome at the Taylor house and part of the family. Our families always got along well and enjoyed time spent together.
Gary- you will be missed and I know you have left your footprint in the hearts of so many.

Kristy & Pete Benoit

April 12, 2026

Gary was my dad. There are more memories than I would ever be able to write down on paper. Some I don’t even realize are memories until I am given a reminder, but there are some that shine so bright that I instantly think of them when I talk about him.
When I was growing up, every Saturday morning we would be up way before my mom or brother. He would always ask me to go to bojangles with him. One thing about my dad was that he absolutely hated eggs. If you even said the word he looked like he might throw up. Most of the time they would get his order wrong and we would have to wait for them to remake his steak and cheese biscuit with NO egg. We always sat in the living room and picked a movie to watch while we ate.
Another special memory was him helping me move in to my college dorm room at ECU. ECU was so special to him and he loved pirate football more than most things in life. He got to reminisce on his time as a student while we were there. We got to relive some of his favorite things, like Cubbies and the UBE store. He was proud that I was following him in going to ECU.
A final, and most meaningful memory to me was getting the opportunity to fly him back to North Carolina in his final days. The way I witnessed his strength in overcoming such a long journey will forever hold a place in my heart. It was one of his final goals and there was nothing going to stop him from achieving it. It was one of the hardest things he would ever have to do but he showed resilience, strength, and kindness throughout the entire journey.
I’m so grateful for the opportunity to know him and learn so much from him. I am proud to have had him as my dad and am so happy to see all of the lives he touched along his way.

Kaley Taylor Podbielski