Donald H. Taylor
October 28, 2015
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Service Details
Donald H. Taylor, 92, passed away Wednesday, October 28, 2015 at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines. The funeral service will be held Monday, November 2, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. at Plymouth United Church of Christ, 4126 Ingersoll Ave. in Des Moines. Visitation will be Sunday, November 1 from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at Hamilton’s on Westown Parkway in West Des Moines. Burial will be at Resthaven Cemetery.
Donald was born June 25, 1923 to Lucille and Sidney Taylor. He married his high school sweetheart, Dolores in March of 1944 and soon afterwards joined the Army Air Corps and became a pilot of the B-24 Liberator plane. During World War II his plane was attacked by enemy aircraft north of Japan. Despite being wounded, he safely crash-landed his plane on Russian soil. Don and his crew of 12 men were held as prisoners of war for eight months. He was honorably discharged in May of 1945; receiving both the Purple Heart and POW medal.
Don demonstrated his strong work ethic as he and his brothers grew Taylor Industries, founded by their father, from a small family business to one of the largest commercial refrigeration equipment companies in the Midwest.
Don and Dolores were proud east-siders and worked to give back to their East Des Moines community. Don served on the boards of the YMCA, Airport Commission and Des Moines Parks and Recreation. He and Dolores were happy to be able to contribute to the construction of Taylor House hospice on the eastside in 2003.
Don always enjoyed the company of family and friends in his home and could often be heard sharing stories of his children and grandchildren who filled him with great pride. He was an excellent pancake chef and shared 25 cent pancakes with his children and grandchildren through the years in Clear Lake, IA where he loved to sail.
Donald is survived by his loving wife of 71 years, Dolores; his children, Don Jr. (Nancy), Steve (Sue), Bob, and Lori (Jaime) Zachar; twelve grandchildren, Stephanie (John) Burnett, Scott (Brandy), Cyndi (Mike) DeMaio, Megan (Kyle) Elfers, Kevin (Leah), Debbie (Nick) Plagge, Brian (Rachel), Taylor (Carissa), Nick, Kaitlyn, Sydney, and Patrick Zachar; nineteen great-granchdilren; sister, Marilyn Sweeney; and sisters-in-law, Joyce and Shirley Taylor. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Harold and Charles; and brother-in-law, Jim Sweeney.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to UnityPoint Taylor House Hospice, 1415 Woodland Ave., Suite E-200, Des Moines, IA 50309. Online condolences may be expressed at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com.
Mark Burns
11/05/2015
Don was a true gentleman, a class act, and a great role model. My condolences to the family.
Shelley Button
11/03/2015
I am saddend to hear of Don's passing . He was such a wonderful man. I will miss his stories of the war. My thoughts and prayers to the entire family.
Jim and Katie Turner
11/03/2015
Lori-
We are so sorry to hear about your Dad-our thoughts and prayers are with you and your entire family.
Craig and Linda Tessau
11/02/2015
Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the Taylor family as you mourn the loss of your wonderful father and grandfather.
Carolyn Nicholson
11/02/2015
My deepest sympathy; he was a great man and my brother and I both worked for Taylor Industries. He will be missed!
Patsy Kollbaum (friend from ISU)
11/01/2015
Our deepest sympathy to Don Jr., Nancy and your whole family. May you find comfort in your happy memories of your Dad, grandfather and great grandfather.
Patsy and Denny Kollbaum
Dick Coe (employee from 1953-1986)
11/01/2015
My condolences to all of you. I will always remember the Taylor family fondly.
George and Cathy Wiedemer
10/31/2015
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Taylor family and we were blessed to have known Don, his son Don Jr. and their wives through business dealings for many years.
George and Cathy Wiedemer
Terry & Merlea Schultz
10/31/2015
Steve and family--
Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this time. What a wonderful life lived and great memories you will have of your father. May they sustain you in the days ahead.
J Larry Vowell
10/31/2015
Sincerest regrets to the family. I'm sure Don will be missed. Although, we at times, had some mutual business issues to discuss and or argue about, I always respected his sense of fairness and dedication. A true professional and a darn good tennis player.
We had many talks about a lot of different subjects other than business but I don't ever recall the details mentioned in the obit referencing his time in the service being one of them.
His valor and sense of duty do not surprise me however.
A good guy that I always respected and one of the true pioneers in the commercial refrigeration industry.
May he rest in peace.
Deborah Zachar David
10/30/2015
Don was a remarkable man. He must have been so proud of his
wonderful family. Our thoughts
and prayers are with you as you celebrate his life.
The David Family