Jeffrey Elder Taylor

July 21st, 1961 – March 12th, 2026

Jeff was born in Des Moines, Iowa on July 21st, 1961 to Robert Melendy Taylor and Rebecca Ann Gunter Taylor. The Taylor family lived in eight different cities before settling in Naples, FL in 1969. Jeff was involved in many sports leagues while growing up in Naples. He attended Lely High School, where he lettered in three sports and eventually graduated in 1979. During his early years, Jeff raced APBA hydroplanes and later became an accomplished sailor, racing sailboats on most weekends. Jeff attended Murray State University, “The Racers”, where he was a member of the 1979 Ohio Valley Conference Championship Football Team. Jeff also attended Florida State University. He lived in Naples until 1992, at which point he moved west to the state of Utah to spend the next thirty-four years. As a lover of all things outdoors, he most loved being in the mountains where he could mountain bike, ski, camp, trail run, and hike with his dog, Marley. When he was not in the mountains, he was winning road running races, riding dirtbikes in the desert, fishing, or exploring the waters around him. He considered the outdoors his church. Jeff was an avid bird hunter, something that he shared with his father and then later shared with his son, Joshua. Jeff loved going to concerts and festivals. He was a Dead Head through and through, with his last shows being Dead and Company Celebrating 60 years of Grateful Dead at Golden Gate Park in August 2025, which he attended with his kids, Sarah and Joshua, and other family.

Jeff is preceded in his passing by his father Bob (January 11th, 2024). He is survived by his children, Sarah and Joshua, and their mother, Helene Taylor-Gardner, his brother, Mike (Wanda) and sister, Kristen (Tim), and their mother, Rebecca Taylor, along with Nieces, Nephews, and their children.

Jeff passed at his home in Willard, Utah surrounded by family, loved ones, and his dog, Marley, on March 12th, 2026 due to complications caused by cancer. He will be missed and remembered by all who knew him. Not Fade Away.