O.J. “Jay” Taylor of Iowa City, Iowa and Idyllwild passed away peacefully at home in Iowa City on Jan. 25, 2011, at the age of 87. He leaves behind his family, Steve and Amanda, of Idyllwild, and Helen Taylor and Matt Reimert, of San Francisco.
Jay was a frequent visitor to Idyllwild, where he loved visiting his family and friends. He was a master carpenter and was responsible for much of the improvements to his son Steve’s home. Always believing that a vacation was time to help others, he also worked wherever he was needed, from mending a chair, to building an oak mantel, to raking pine needles. He began every morning playing with his “granddog,” Bella.
He will be most remembered for his smile and eternal good cheer. He agreed with Ralph Waldo Emerson when he said: “Don’t waste yourself in rejection, nor bark back against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good.”