Ellis Leslie "Bud" Taylor, Jr.

Ellis Leslie "Bud" Taylor, Jr was born January 30, 1931 in Billings, MT. Bud was the oldest son of the ten children born to Ellis Leslie Taylor and Nora Trump Taylor. Bud passed away December 2, 2006, after a long illness from COPD, and several heart attacks, and later developed Alzheimer's. His last big struggle was with pneumonia and he just was too weak to fight it off any longer, but he gave it a long hardy try anyway.

Bud was raised in Billings and attended school in Billings with the exception of a year his family spent in the Salt Lake City area. When he was 17, he enlisted in the Navy and spent 4 years in active duty, then was in the Naval Reserves for a year, before he was called back into service for another 2 years. He also lived in Alaska for 15 years and Seattle for 2 years. He spent over 50 years in the camera business in various phases until he retired in May 2004.

Bud married Florence Logan and they had three children, Sandra Elaine Taylor, Robin Marie Taylor, and Glenn Dean Taylor. They later divorce and he married Leola "Jean" Dunn Stevenson in Anchorage, Alaska. When Bud & Jean married, they agreed to take each others children and love them as their own, so Bud acquired a son, William Edward Stevenson, a daughter, Debra Jean Stevenson, and another daughter Jeannine Renee Taylor, whom he legally adopted when she was 4 years old.

Bud was a very proud man and a very hard working man and nothing in the world meant more to him than his "Family." He was a very good son, husband, father, brother, grandpa, and great grandpa. He was equally proud of his Montana Heritage and when he had lung surgery in 2000, he got a real kick out of the Dr. in Seattle calling him the "Montana Man", because you seldom saw him without his cowboy boots, western shirt and pants and most of the time, his cowboy hat. He was a Montanan through and through.

Bud and Jean enjoyed traveling to the various Camera Shows allover the western part of the US in their motor home for the last 15 years before he got sick. They also enjoyed traveling to see their kids, allover from Georgia, Seattle, Reno, Alaska, and even South Carolina for a while. Bud was always ready to go fishing or flying or just riding when we went to Alaska to visit Bill and his family, he was always anxious to go and see and explore anything any of the children wanted to do when we visited them. Bud and Jean also enjoyed going camping and just getting out and about with their friends Neil & Lois Logan and Luke & Jo Logan, and he also looked forward to lunches with the six members of the "Geriatric Crew." The family room is lined with bookcases of memories of these special occasions. He was also an avid Rodeo and Professional Bull Rider fan. Bud and Jean were also adopted by their little dog, Tootsie, while at Primrose Personal Care.

Bud is survived by his wife, Jean and their children, Bill (Kelly) Stevenon, Debbie (Merrill) Hartman, Robin Taylor, Glenn (Sherrill) Taylor and Jeannine (Phillip) Taylor, 8 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren and several grandchildren we inherited as the children got married. He is also survived by brothers Jerry (Betty) Taylor and

Marvin(Laura)Taylor, and his sisters, Jeanine Huffinan, Beverly (Ed) Schleinger, Dorothy Wilson, Sharon (Bob) Loveless, and Carol Off, and his former wife Florence Logan. He also has numerous in laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, and his Aunt Betty & Uncle LaVern Curley, and other extended family members, too many to mention, but he loved them all. He also leaves behind a lot of childhood friends, including Neil & Lois Logan, Luke & Jo Logan, Rodger Logan, and Max Palin as well as the "lunch bunch" that he had lunch with every Wednesday until he got too ill in September of 2005 to go any more. They all childhood friends that grew up together in the Billings Heights area.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Bill Taylor and sister Mavis Taylor as well as his daughter Sandra Anderson, Grandson, Jim Stevenson, and great granddaughter, Leslie Taylor Richardson, and his mother & father in law, as well as 5 brothers in law.

The family would like to extend their most heartfelt appreciation and thanks to Cyndi Johnson and her staff at Primrose Personal Care Home and the Rocky Mountain Hospice for the excellent care he received from them, "Little Jessie" Kratchovil, Carol Heath, and Kathy Weiss in particular and also Dr. Robert Merchant who has been his pulmonary Dr. for the past 15 years.

Funeral Services will be held at 10:00 AM Tuesday at Michelotti-Sawyers Mortuary, with interment to follow at Sunset Memorial Gardens.

Donations are requested to go to Primrose Personal Care Home, 1228 Maurine Street, Billings, MT 59105 or Rocky Mountain Hospice, 2110 Overland Ave., Suite 111, Billings, Mt. 59102. Because of the grace and compassion of Primrose Personal Care Home, Jean was allowed to stay with Bud the entire 13 months he was there, and they still were able to have a somewhat normal family life together. They treated him with grace and dignity and never once made him feel like he was in an institution instead of a loving home environment.

GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND WE WILL MISS YOU BUD!! You are still my darling and the King of my heart forever my sweetie! !