Jody Dennis Taylor

Jody was born on June 22, 1947 to Jacob Brooks Taylor and Rose Taylor in Brooklyn, NY. With his sister Jan, he was raised in Annandale, Virginia attending Annandale High School and subsequently George Mason University, which at the time was a branch of the University of Virginia. As a Kappa Sigma fraternity brother, Jody was introduced to rugby, which became and continued to be one of his biggest loves throughout his life. He was proud to say he played rugby in England, Wales and Ireland. And on May 10, 2019 he was honored to be inducted into the Northern Virginia Rugby Football Club Hall of Fame as one of its founding members.

Jody’s father, Jacob Brooks Taylor, served in the Navy with his two identical brothers, Ike and Abe (coined the Tennessee Triplets). They were the first set of triplets to ever serve together in any branch of the United States Armed Services, serving aboard the USS Texas (BB-35) until forcibly separated during World War II when families began losing all of their sons at the same time when the battleship they were serving on together went down. The USS Texas was the first permanent battleship memorial museum in United States history. Throughout his life, Jody was a military history enthusiast and was delighted when, in September 2019, special arrangements were made for him to board the temporarily closed USS Texas in berth at San Jacinto Battleground State Park near Houston, TX. He was able to walk the top and lower decks where his father and his two triplet brothers walked so many years before!

Jody was a very diverse person, not only did he love people, rugby and military history, his many other interests included traveling, reading and he had a vast stamp collection with stamps from all over the world. He had a deep appreciation for friends and family near and far, and was loved, respected and admired by many around the globe. He is known largely by his engaging presence, his desire to help others, his impeccable mustache, and his commitment of over 46 years to the Washington DC bar and pub scene where he worked and managed several DC landmarks such as: Blackie's House of Beef, Lulu’s Club Mardi Gras, Samantha’s, Abbey Road (where an old fire truck was tripped out as the bar), The Black Greco, Ha’Penny Lion, and lastly the famed Black Rooster Pub which he owned. Jody also had a great respect and gratitude for all veterans, police officers, and firefighters. Many relationships were formed and solidified at the Black Rooster Pub from Jody providing a safe and welcoming haven for the community.

Jody is survived by his partner of 35 years, Carolyn Higgins, his son Jake Taylor, daughter and son in law Jessica and Nate Dicken, and sister Jan Taylor. Along with many cousins, he is also survived by one of his most prized possessions, his 1976 Corvette.

His presence will forever make waves amongst those whose lives he has touched. We will all see him one day at the big pub in the sky, where Jody is surely talking, telling stories, and entertaining the masses.

Little known fact: Jody was an avid Jimmy Buffett fan, attended many of his live concerts and enjoyed the fact that he and “Jimmy” belonged to the same fraternity.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Jody’s memory to the Gary Sinise Foundation, https://www.garysinisefoundation.org, or the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, https://www.t2t.org