James F. Taylor Jr.

James Fred Taylor Jr., 85, of Columbia, SC entered into eternal rest on Sunday, December 10, 2023. He was born March 18, 1938 in Prosperity, SC, the son of the late James Fred Taylor Sr. and Odalite Fulmer Taylor.

Mr. Taylor attended Columbia High School and briefly served in the Army with an honorable discharge. He was a retired hardware salesman with Monroe Hardware for more than 30 years. In his younger days, he was known to some as "Toad." The name given by some of his close buddies since childhood. Through his adulthood, he enjoyed playing horseshoes, softball, bowling, and golfing. He was an avid lifetime USC Gamecocks fan via good and bad.

Mr. Taylor was a caring, loving and thoughtful man. He would always ask about others when you saw him or spoke with him and would say tell so-and-so I said Hello! He was very personable with his smile and blue eyes. To those that knew him, he was fun to be around and had quite the sense of humor. He adored time together with family, friends and grandchildren. “As you were you will always be, treasured forever in our memory.”

Mr. Taylor is survived by his son, Keith Taylor (Dana); daughter, Tara Taylor Howell (Albert); son, Jarrod Taylor; son, Jonohn Taylor; grandson, Brandon Taylor; granddaughter, Taylor Howell; granddaughter, Ashland Howell; grandson, Justin Ross; and his sister, Fredna Taylor Miller (Goudy). He is predeceased by his parents and his wife, Renee Black Taylor.

A graveside service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, December 15, 2023 at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church cemetery, 407 St. Andrews Road, Columbia, SC 29210. The family will receive friends after the service at the graveside.

Memorials may be made to a charity of your choice in lieu of flowers.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.caughmanlexington.com

for the Taylor Family.