Obituary of Thurston Taylor

Thurston H. Taylor, 89, went to be with his Lord on January 27, 2009. T-Bone as he was affectionately by his family and friends was a proud member of the "Greatest Generation" and shall be greatly missed by all who knew him. Thurston was born on September 22, 1919 and was raised in Douglas , Georgia before moving his family to Jacksonville , Florida in 1955 and lived in the Holly Oaks Community from 1957 until he was recently hospitalized as he struggled with an invasive cancer. T-Bone was a graduate of Douglas High School and attended South Georgia Junior College and Auburn University on a football scholarship. He was passionate about football and his beloved Auburn Tigers and War Eagles. During WWII, Thurston was an Airman with The Army Air Corp., until he was honorably discharged in 1946. While in Jacksonville , T-Bone eventually became a seaman and joined the U.S. Merchant Marines and sailed the world aboard oil tankers until his retirement. Thurston is survived by his beloved wife of 67 years, Margaret T. Taylor and two children Haldane Taylor (Dee) of Jacksonville , Florida and Peggy T. Wirth (Randy) of East Lansing , Michigan . He also leaves two grandchildren, Holly Cauley of Tallahassee , Florida and Kelly Rousseau of Jacksonville , Florida and seven great grandchildren, who adored their "Great Grandpa". Thurston and Margaret were faithful members of Parkwood Baptist Church for over 30 years. They were devoted workers for their church and enjoyed their senior choir. Visitation will be held from 2:00 pm till 3:00 pm on January 30, 2009 at Arlington Park Funeral Home, 6920 Lone Star Road , Jacksonville , Florida . Funeral services will proceed at 3:00 pm. Interment will follow at Arlington Park Cemetery .