Obituary of Lawrence R. Taylor

Lawrence R. "Lawrie" Taylor, 64, of 743 Falconer Street, passed away at the Buffalo Veterans Administration Hospital on Monday, March 4, 2019 following a difficult battle with ALS - Lou Gehrig's Disease. Lawrie was born in Jamestown on July 19, 1954 and was a son of the late William Aaron and Virginia Cornell Taylor. He was a 1972 graduate of Jamestown High School and received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from SUNY Fredonia in 1980. A proud veteran of the United States Navy, he was a retired Commander, having actively served from 1980 to 1984 aboard the USS Thorn, and in the US Navy Reserve from 1984 to 1997. He was a graduate of the US Navy Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island. Lawrie retired in May of last year from the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency, where he was a Business Development Manager for 35 years and involved in hundreds of projects. The Board Room of the IDA office is named for Lawrie. He was a member of both the Military Officers Association and Naval Reserves Association, and belonged to St. Luke's Episcopal Church where he served as Dean of Acolytes. Active in Scouting throughout his life, Lawrie was an Eagle Scout, a former Scoutmaster and was the first recipient of the God and Country Award from the Boy Scouts of America at St. Luke's. Lawrie's favorite spot in the entire world was the family camp, 'Big Pine', in Frewsburg, NY. Surviving are his four siblings: Diane (Barclay) Wellman of Jamestown, Nancy Taylor of Rochester, NY, Stephen C. Taylor of Jamestown and William A. (Beverly) Taylor, Jr. of Ft. Mill, SC; and his six nieces and nephews: Barclay O. (Monica) Wellman, Jr. of Arlington, VA, Taylor A. (Jill) Wellman of Rochester, NY, Alexandra Wellman (Ryan Fischer) of Oakmont, PA, Aaron S. (Courtney) Taylor of Mayville, NY, Sarah (Jason) Lincoln of Boonsboro, MD and William A. (Gwyn) Taylor III of Charlotte, NC; as well as several great nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, William and mother, Virginia, both in 1993. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 9th in St. Luke's Episcopal Church. The Rev. Luke Fodor, rector, and the Rev. Dr. Ralph Anderson, Lawrie's cousin, will officiate. Burial will be in Veteran's Grove of Lake View Cemetery. Friends will be received from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday in the Lind Funeral Home. Memorials may be made to the ALS Association, Upstate New York Chapter, 135 Old Cove Road, Suite 213, Liverpool, NY 13090; or to the Jamestown Audubon Society, 1600 Riverside Road, Jamestown, NY 14701.