Thomas "Tom" Vanderford Taylor

Tom was born on January 25, 1938 to the late Eunice Vanderford and Fred Taylor in Memphis, TN.

From an early age, Tom was fascinated with figuring out how things work. Whether it was mechanical, electrical, or structural, he could fix nearly anything. He studied engineering at the University of Tennessee and was soon hired by the Tennessee Valley Authority as an electrical engineer for both the Melton Hill Dam and Bull Run projects. Not long after, Tom was hired by IBM as a mainframe engineer for TVA. In 1994, he retired from IBM after more than 30 years of employment.

Tom’s previous marriage gave him his first child, Michael Vanderford. H met his wife, Ann Finch in 1972 while both were working at TVA. Ann recalls that he was very good looking! They were married on August 25, 1973 and went on to have two children, Margaret Ann and John Thomas. Next month, they would have celebrated 49 years of happy marriage.

Throughout his entire life, Tom held an unwavering faith in God, which he shared with the people he loved. Tom and his family were active at St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church in Chattanooga, where Tom served as treasurer of the men’s club for many years. After the closing of St. Andrew’s Church, the family attended Brainerd Methodist Church, where Tom especially loved the weekly gospel bluegrass sessions. Later, he and Ann followed their longtime friend and pastor Bill Owens to Ridgedale Baptist and then to GraceWorks Church.

Tom was a loving and supportive husband and father who worked tirelessly to make sure his family had everything they needed. By his own example, he taught his children to be patient, kind, hardworking, and resourceful. Tom was soft-spoken and calm and seemed always to have encouraging words and a big smile for anyone he met. Besides riding his lawn mower around his property and fixing things around his house, Tom loved to go to Gatlinburg, TN to picnic and sit peacefully by the Little Pigeon River. In his final days, his family was blessed with the opportunity to hold his hands and thank him for all he had done for them.

Tom is survived by his wife, Ann Taylor, children Michael Taylor (Angie), Margaret Ann Taylor Minihan (Brendan), and John Taylor, and grandchildren Garrett Taylor, Aidan Minihan, Ewan Minihan, and Clare Minihan.

A memorial service will be held for Tom at the Chattanooga Funeral Home’s East Brainerd Chapel on Thursday, July 28, 2022 at 1:30 pm, with a visitation one hour prior to service. He will be laid to rest at Lakewood Memory Gardens East.

Please share your memories of Tom with the family at www.chattanoogaeastbrainerdchapel.com

Arrangements are by the East Brainerd Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory and Florist, 8214 E. Brainerd Rd., Chattanooga, TN 37421.