Thomas F. Taylor

Thomas F. Taylor, age 77, of South Haven, Minnesota died Friday, July 3, 2020, at the St. Cloud Hospital with his wife at his side. Memorial services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, July 24, 2020, at the Dingmann Funeral Care Chapel, Annandale with Deacon Ron Freeman officiating. Visitation will begin at 9 a.m. on Friday. Military honors will follow at the funeral home. Burial will be held 12:30 p.m. on Friday, July 24, 2020, at Hillside Cemetery, Minneapolis. All attendees are asked to abide by social distancing guidelines and Tom’s family asks that masks or face coverings be worn. Memorials are preferred to Voiture #415 (Nurses Training) c/o Steve Dircks 2201 6th St. N. St. Cloud, MN 56303-3205. Thomas Franklin Taylor was born July 1, 1943, in St. Paul, Minnesota to Frank and Ragna (Creutzer) Taylor. Tom grew up in south Minneapolis, other than the 1 year spent in Glava Glasbruk, Sweden with his aunt Gerda. He graduated from Minneapolis Central High School in 1961. Following graduation, Tom entered the United States Army where he honorably served his country in Germany during the start of the Vietnam War. On June 24, 1967, he was united in marriage to Marie E. Johnson in Minneapolis and was blessed with two children and three grandchildren. They made their home in Minneapolis, where Tom worked as painter and painted for the Minneapolis Schools, Park Board, and Water Department. In 1994, Tom and Marie moved to the Annandale area, where they have made their home since, enjoying the shores of Lake Sylvia and most recently, Clearwater Lake. Tom was honored with a wildlife painting by the DNR after 20 years of teaching gun safety. As a proud United States Veteran, Tom was a member of the 40 & 8, Sons of the American Legion, DAV, as well as the American Legion. He served as Commander of Court House Post #310, Chef de Gare of Voiture #45 and Chef de Gare of Grand du MN. As an outdoorsman, Tom enjoyed hunting and fishing in the early years, and now loved watching and feeding birds, reading, watching NCIS and Wheel of Fortune. He also cherished the time with his family, especially his three grandchildren. Tom is survived by his wife of 53 years, Marie of South Haven; children, Michael (Megan) Taylor of St. Michael and Theresa Nelson of Castle Rock, Colorado; three grandchildren, Cross and Logan Nelson, and Mazie Taylor; two nephews in Sweden; and other nieces, nephews, family members and friends. Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Ragna; half-brothers, Stig Nordemann and Gary Taylor; and half-sister, Patty Campbell. Tom’s grandchildren and Richard Palmer will serve as honorary urn bearers. Arrangements entrusted to Dingmann Funeral Care Burial and Cremation Services of Annandale.