William H Taylor

William H. “Bill” Taylor, a native Miamian and Tallahassee resident, died Tuesday (12/29/2015) at his home. The son of William E. and Frances Taylor, he was born September 16, 1937 and was graduated in 1954 from Miami Senior High School, where he learned to play the bassoon and developed a life-long love for music. In 1958, he received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from FSU, where he was a member of the University Symphony, the Marching Chiefs, the Symphonic Band, and the Circus Band, and was president of Epsilon Iota chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. After teaching junior high music in Miami and in Mentor, Ohio, Bill returned to FSU for a Master’s Degree in Library Science. He became a school librarian/media specialist in Miami and was a member of the founding faculty of Miami Killian Senior High in 1966.

While at a summer workshop at the University of South Carolina, he met Connie Schiavoni, another school librarian from Sag Harbor, New York, who became the love of his life. They were married in Sag Harbor Labor Day weekend, 1970, and had a year-long honeymoon at Indiana University where Bill earned an Education Specialist degree in Instructional Technology.

The Taylors came to Tallahassee in 1972 where Bill was employed as a Consultant in School Library Media Services for the Florida Department of Education. In 1977, he was appointed Supervisor of District Media Services for the Hillsborough County School District in Tampa, retiring in 1995 as the district’s Director of Educational Media and Technology.

Bill and Connie chose to return to Tallahassee for their retirement years, and have enjoyed the seasons and the natural beauty of the area ever since. Bill served as a volunteer in the Instructional Resources Center of Chiles High School for many years, sang in the Tallahassee Civic Choral, was an editor of Florida Media Quarterly, and served on the Board of Directors of Lutheran Social Services of North Florida. He was a long-time member of St. Stephen Lutheran Church, having attended its very first worship service in 1955. He was a member of St. Stephen’s choir, and also sang in choirs at Good Shepherd Catholic Church.

He is survived by his wife Connie, children Kate (Scott) Stratton and Jon (Jenn) Taylor, grandchildren Emma Kate, Nathan, Will, Benjamin, and Isabelle, and his father, William E. Taylor, all of Tallahassee. For friends who wish, the family suggests memorial donations to Lutheran Social Services of North Florida, 606 W. 4th Ave, Suite 11, Tallahassee, FL 32303 or Big Bend Hospice, 1723 Mahan Center Blvd, Tallahassee, FL 32308 in lieu of flowers.