Nicholas Marc Taylor

Nicholas Marc Taylor, loved and known by many as Subspec, Nickelby, Nick and various other names he picked up along his brief journey in this life, passed on Thursday, January 10, 2019. The most cherished of which he would ever be called is that of Son, Brother, Husband and Dad.

Originally made and assembled in Kunsan, Korea, Nick stubbornly, yet quietly rolled out of production and made his debut on Saturday, January 28, 1984 at the Bergstrom Air Force Base hospital in Austin, Texas. He was a big one and upon inspection, Nick’s late Grandmother, Louise Hunsucker Taylor couldn’t help but notice his feet. As many parents and grandparents are compelled to do, she kissed and rubbed them, in amazement, exclaiming, “They are as wide as they are long!” Yes, it was true and from that day forward Nick struggled to find shoes big enough to properly fit his feet.

In true Taylor fashion, Nick proved to be a natural born trouble shooter and engineer, as he safely mastered and executed numerous crib escapes shortly after learning to crawl. His late grandfather, Donald Anderson was known to say, “I believe that boy could stack round balls on top of each other and escape just about anything.” From there he quickly conquered everything from centrifugal force to molecular combustion, once setting the bathroom sink a fire with rubbing alcohol and a size D battery. Nick attended Assets High School in Honolulu, Hawaii where he made many life-long friends and went on to graduate from the Hawaii National Guard Youth Challenge Academy in Kapolei, Hawaii, earning the Academy’s prestigious Fitness Award after proudly completing his first and only full 26-mile marathon.

Determined to never suffer through painful blisters and emerging in-grown toenails again, Nick earned a bachelor’s degree in information systems security from Westwood College in Denver, Colorado in 2004. Having been raised a military BRAT under the unwritten and unofficial Air Force motto “We Raise Our Own” Nick heeded the call to service and enlisted in the United States Air Force as an Aerospace Propulsion Specialist in 2006, or for those less versed in military specialty codes, a C-130 jet engine mechanic.

Literally, holding true to his roots and that of being capable of growing his signature red beard, Nick married the ginger haired love of his life, Kristina Kirlin in 2007. Never able to pass up a deal, he also gained a ginger haired daughter, Samantha Gibson (13), affectionately known as Sam, whom he loved and cherished. Together they had two boys, Jonathan (11) and Alexander (8) whom he also loved and cherished beyond measure. Nick took great pride in his family, tirelessly working to provide for and to teach many lifelong skills such as how to pick out the correct size wrench, change the oil, point fireworks away from the house, but more importantly the car, be kind, love each other and to just be thankful. Nick took great pride in their accomplishments regardless of how big or small.

After six years of braving the subzero temperatures of the Kirtland Air Force Base flight line and surviving approximately, but no less than, 289 puncture wounds from 0.81 mm stainless steel safety wire, Nick traded in his military uniform for that of the “Men in Black,” the Mercedes-Benz Capital Eurocars automotive experts in Tallahassee, Florida. He finally settled in Zephyrhills Hills, Florida after following his fellow Star Wars friend and bearded brother, Rich Heflin to Mercedes-Benz of Wesley Chapel. It is here that Nick was able to take his military expertise of pranking his fellow co-workers to a truly professional level. Nick quickly earned his spot as one of the top performers, within 5-years, with no automotive experience. He was always the first in and always stayed after hours without complaint. Nick was loved and respected by everyone he had the honor to work with and has literally and figurately left some pretty substantial shoes to fill.

Nick had a life-long love affair with tacos, stuffed French bread, as only his momma could make it, anything that included “real” bacon, although he preferred the standard strips, and he was known to willingly bait anyone foolish enough into a “Scoville challenge” to which it is believed he held exclusive bragging rights. It was known Nick didn’t drink coffee in the morning, and as rumor would have it, he suspiciously always had an extra bottle of Green Ghost close by. One couldn’t help but wonder if he was drinking it.

Nick truly excelled at everything he did. When presented with a problem, the words, “I can’t” simply weren’t a part of his vocabulary. Of his many skills, Nick was talented at repairing almost everything he ever broke. Just ask Kristina about the great 2017 hoverboard incident that Farmers didn’t cover. Evidently, they didn’t know a thing or two about Nick. When he wasn’t fixing things, which he inevitably always was, Nick was quite useful at eradicating those pesky, unrelenting Florida mosquitoes, outsmarting wayward possums living in his garage and never losing a game of the highly competitive Cards Against Humanity. He was an ordained Pastafarian and Wildling at heart that loved his firestick and was recently known to be binge watching Friends and Stargate Atlantis while switching between Californication and Game of Thrones.

Outside of work, Nick took fashion cues from no one. His every day look was all his: Star Wars inspired black T-shirt designed by any fashion house with rights to the franchise, a pair of 1993-1995 styled signature khaki-colored carpenter pants accompanied by a pair of size 13 DC skate shoes loosely tied to accommodate. You remember the feet thing, right?

Nick despised liars and phonies, lazy people with poor ethics, cheesy pop songs, the Twilight movies and several other pointless fads, with dabbing being at the top of his list and a strictly prohibited activity in his home. For all that Nick despised, his kind spirit, warmth and compassion could fill a room and was felt by everyone that ever had the opportunity to cross his path.

In celebration of Nick’s life, visitation will be held at Blount and Curry Funeral Home, 12690 N 56th Street, Temple Terrace, FL 33617 on Monday, January 14, 2019 from 5-8 p.m. with a memorial service to follow on Tuesday, January 15, 2019 at 11 a.m.

In honoring Nick’s service and innate commitment to service before self, in lieu of flowers, the family asks that any donations be made to Folds of Honor North Florida, 501 S Sweetwater Cove Blvd, Longwood, FL 32779. It is a non-profit organization supporting the children and spouses of our nation’s fallen and wounded service members by “Honoring Their Sacrifice” and “Educating Their Legacy.”

Finally, Nick would want to remind you of the infamous words of Hannibal Lecter, I mean Anthony Hopkins, “None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an afterthought. Eat the delicious food. Walk in the sunshine. Jump in the ocean. Say the truth you’re carrying in your heart like hidden treasure. Be silly. Be kind. Be weird. There’s no time for anything else.” So, I challenge you, not to seek reward in this life, but to make the commitment to go through this life doing what you do the best, the best you can do it and never look back. The rewards will come and if they don't, hold your head high and know you played the game how it was meant to be played.