Leslie Taylor of Creal Springs
Leslie Taylor, 87, of Creal Springs, passed away Friday morning, Dec. 28, 2018 at Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion.
He was born Sept. 18, 1931 in rural Creal Springs, the son of Herman and Cora (Webb) Taylor. He was united in marriage to Wanda Lou Springhart on June 11, 1951, and they shared 67 years of marriage prior to his death.
A devoted husband, father, and affectionate grandfather, he loved his wife unconditionally. He will always be remembered for his love of working in the vegetable garden. There was always a stray handful of beans waiting to be canned. In his earlier years, he loved to coon hunt, raise Hereford cattle, and ride horses while camping at Brownlow with his family.
He enthusiastically hunted for bittersweet in the fall. The enjoyment he found from reading a good western novel that he picked up at an auction for 10 cents was paralleled only by his love for deer hunting and watching late night basketball on TV. He loved playing with his grand- and great-grandchildren, especially on a snowy Christmas Day.
He took great pride in serving under President Eisenhower during his three-year term in the United States Marine Corps. In recent years, he and Wanda attended every auction in the surrounding counties, including those of John Simmons. He enjoyed peddling auction items for the value he knew they had. He appreciated talking to anyone that would listen and loved being at home with "Mom" and his beloved dog, Spike.
Leslie is survived by his wife, Wanda, and two children, Lyman (Toni) Taylor of Creal Springs and Elizabeth (Paul) Lybarger of Wendelin, Illinois; grandchildren, Travis Taylor, Cassie (Richard) Groff, Lauren (Josh) Few, Leo Lybarger and Rene (David) Edwards; great-grandchild Jonah Taylor; two brothers, James (Kathy) Taylor of Matteson, Illinois and Loren (Gayla) Taylor of Marion; as well as a number of nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents.
The visitation was held 5-8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 30, at Cosby-Sloan Funeral Home in Creal Springs. Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. Monday, Dec. 31, at the funeral home. The burial will take place at the County Line Cemetery, rural Creal Springs.