Roy Taylor

Roy JR Taylor, 88, of Corvallis peacefully passed away Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013, at his home. He was born in Corvallis, the son of Roy William Taylor and Addie F. Maxfield Taylor. Roy lived in Corvallis his entire life, was the youngest of three siblings, and was a direct descendant of the King family of Kings Valley. He attended Corvallis High School and was included in the Class of 1944. Soon after high school he was drafted into the military. As he was preparing to leave for military service, he was involved in a motorcycle accident, and a badly broken leg prohibited him from serving his country, to his disappointment. Roy married Marietta F. Cosgrove of Kings Valley on June 2, 1946, in Corvallis. As a young man, Roy worked for several businesses in Corvallis, such as Brand’s Motors, Stewart Appliance and others. As a sideline, Roy also leased property known as Colorado Lake Amusement Park in Linn County. He ran the amusement park, built and rented out boats. For many years the park was an end destination for a good time for the students at Oregon State College and the soldiers at Camp Adair. As a new bride, Marietta helped Roy run the amusement park for another year and a half. Soon thereafter, Roy joined the carpenters’ union and worked on many jobs throughout Corvallis, including Oregon State. Around 1949, he went to work for Jim Stopp, building homes in Corvallis. Mr. Stopp passed away, and Roy took over the supervision of his remaining homes. Soon after, Roy began building homes on his own and was a member of the Oregon Homebuilders Association. He continued to build homes in Corvallis through 1969, as he gradually transitioned to commercial building on his own property in south Corvallis, now known as Southgate Plaza. Roy enjoyed property management and the people he met, and never retired from it. In addition to being a successful businessman, Roy had many hobbies and enjoyable activities. He was a grand collector of antique car parts. This began a lifelong hobby of restoring antique autos, beginning with the 1913 four-door sedan for the 1959 Oregon Centennial celebration. Roy did most of his own restoration work in his well-equipped shop, and particularly enjoyed building depot hack bodies from his seasoned stockpile of oak wood. He and Marietta were members of the Enduring A’s of Albany, and the Historic Auto Club of Corvallis. Roy enjoyed many years of deep-sea fishing on his own boats out of Newport. He and Marietta were members of the Corvallis Aquathusiasts, and Roy raced boats and hydroplanes throughout Oregon. Both the deep-sea fishing and boat racing brought about many weekends of fun summer camping. Fall/winter hunting trips to northeastern Oregon were an annual event for more than 40 years, and included visits to see his brother in Sumpter. Square dancing also was a part of his busy life. Roy and Marietta square-danced for years, belonging to several clubs throughout the Willamette Valley. Roy was a member of Calvin Presbyterian Church in Corvallis, and the Elks and Moose lodges. Roy enjoyed spending time on the old Cosgrove farm in Kings Valley, traveling, and, more recently, continuing the fun/frustration of restoring antique autos, now with his grandson, Toney Jr. Roy is survived by his wife, Marietta (Rita) of Corvallis; daughter, Karen Taylor Logan of Corvallis; grandchildren Michele Logan Lilleboe (Jason) of Austin, Texas, and Toney Logan Jr. (Valarie) of Corvallis; and four great-grandchildren, Hayden Jayson and Lucas Taylor Lilleboe, and Toney Michael-Kade and Maximillian Taylor Logan, plus one on the way in June. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers Harold Taylor and Kenneth Taylor; and sister Evelyn Quick Tucker. Viewing and visitation is set for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18, at McHenry Funeral Home, with graveside services to follow at Crystal Lake Cemetery. If desired, charitable donations in his memory should be made to the charity of your choice.

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Roy Taylor

February 13, 1924 - January 13, 2013