Roger D. Taylor
July 22, 1954 - April 1, 2015
Visalia
Roger D. Taylor of Santa Maria, passed away on April 01, 2015 at the age of 60. Roger was born on July 22, 1954 in Visalia, California.
Roger grew up in Exeter, California, where he resided until the age of 20. During that time he met and married his wife Paula, and they spent the next 40 years together.
Roger is a retired Southern California Edison Company employee after 37 years of service. Of those 37 years he spent 30 of them in Big Creek, Ca. where he and his wife Paula raised their (4) children.
Roger was very passionate about the Big Creek Project, he was a vey dedicated and loyal employee.
Roger was loved dearly by his wife, children, extended family, and many, many friends. He never knew a stranger, he was a very welcoming and loving person. He was forever the optimist, a great story teller, never missed an opportunity to tell a good joke, life for him meant family first and the new experiences and adventures he could enjoy with them.
Roger was a voracious reader, an avid cribbage player, and a motorcycle enthusiast. He loved his wife, children, grand-children, extended family & friends un-conditionally. He will be missed and loved always, he gave us all wonderful memories to remember him by.
Roger is survived by his wife Paula Taylor, his children Michele Linzner, Anthony Perez, Kellie Perez, and Benjamin Taylor, his Grand Children Andrew Perez, Conner Linzner, Courtney Linzner, and Cooper Perez, his Great Grandchild Kaiden Aubuchon, Brother David Taylor, Sister In-Law's Lois Taylor, Barbara Rupert, Laura Terusa, and Sandra Hernandez, and many other extended family, including the beloved Tribe.
Roger's Celebration of Life will be held on April 10, 2015 at 1:00pm at The Exeter Memorial Building, 324 N. Kaweah Ave., Exeter, Ca. 93221. Gravesite services following the Life Celebration, and then a Reception and Fellowship back at the Exeter Memorial Building. Please in Lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate an in kind donation to the following: The Regan Johnson Scholarship Memorial Fund, 12351 S. Mac Donough Ave., Reedley, Ca. 93654-9209
Long time Southern California Edison employee who recently passed away honored in Exeter
https://abc30.com/tulare-county-southern-california-edison-exeter-honor/1784017/
A 37-year employee of Southern California Edison was honored Friday.
EXETER, Calif. (KFSN) -- A 37-year employee of Southern California Edison was honored Friday.
Roger Taylor passed away about a year and a half ago-- not long after retiring from the company. He grew up in the South Valley and went to Fresno State before joining Southern California Edison where he spent many years at the Big Creek Hydro Plant.
Taylor's co-workers, friends, and family honored him at the Exeter Historical Museum. They dedicated a 1,400 pound decommissioned transformer in his name.
"He had vast knowledge of not just the company and the project, but of everything. He could get up and speak extemporaneously on various subjects, very intelligent person," said Paula Taylor, Roger Taylor's wife.
An avid historian, Taylor often shared his love of the Central Valley- Opens in new window — particularly his hometown of Exeter — with friends and strangers alike. He worked at SCE his entire 37-year career, 30 of them at the Big Creek Hydro Plant- Opens in new window where he often gave tours, including one to Huell Howser for his show “California’s Gold.”
Steve Heffler, SCE Grid Ops manager in the San Joaquin Valley, was hired by Taylor in 2012. He still remembers their first meeting, which included a trip to Exeter that went on so long he almost missed his flight back home.
“When you first see him, it is daunting. But he was a kind, understanding person,” said Heffler, who worked for Roger until his retirement in November 2014. “He put people first.”
When the substation near Exeter was recently rebuilt, the curator of the Exeter Museum asked if some of the decommissioned equipment could be donated to the facility.
Soon, word got back to Heffler who felt this was an opportune moment to honor his good friend.
“This transformer would have served Roger all his life in Exeter where he grew up,” he said, noting that the transformer was bought in 1931 and powered the city from 1955 until its retirement in 2015. “Not only is this a donation to the city, but a memorial to someone who gave 37 years of his life to this company.”
Just after Presidents Day weekend, the newly painted “Edison Green” transformer was loaded onto a truck bed by SCE employees at the Westminster repair shop- Opens in new window. Making its way along Interstate 5, the 1,450 pounds of metal made the six-hour journey to the Exeter Museum where it will be officially unveiled at noon March 3.
In total, nine employees spent a few days over several months un-tanking the core and cleaning and repainting the transformer. Many felt it was an honor to recognize a beloved co-worker.
“It’s an honor to help out and do something special for an employee and the city,” said Ward Dennis, SCE senior supervisor of substation construction and maintenance
Richard Trujillo, SCE senior supervisor in the Distribution Apparatus shop, added: “We are proud to be able to charge in and help out.”
Taylor passed away on April 1, 2015. He was riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, a beloved hobby for 15 years, and on his way to meet his brother for lunch when he got into a traffic accident.
Hundreds of people from across the country attended his funeral. At the time, Paula didn’t have the words, so overcome was she with grief.
But this time, she is ready to honor her husband of four decades and plans to speak a few words at the March event.
“This honor is perfect for Roger. He had such a love for the company and for Exeter,” she said. “There are so many things to be thankful for. We had a great life.”
Taylor's wife said her husband touched many lives, and treated everyone with the same respect.
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/visaliatimesdelta/obituary.aspx?n=roger-d-taylor&pid=174572776