Thomas (Tom) Harvey Taylor

Thomas Harvey Taylor was born August 4, 1951, to Robert and Kathleen Taylor in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He died of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis on October 13, 2019 in Bellingham, Washington. Tom is survived and deeply loved by his three children, Ben (Colleen) Taylor, Kris (Lila) Taylor, and Ayla (Kip) Twaddle, his wife, Karen Reitz, his three grandchildren, Anna Taylor, Spike Twaddle and Dylan Taylor, his brother Steve (Marilyn) Taylor, as well as nieces, nephews and a large extended family. Tom loved sports and being outside. He played baseball and football when he was young and was a star kicker for Gonzaga Prep in Spokane, WA. As an adult Tom coached youth soccer, enjoyed bike riding, hiking, camping and boating with his family and friends. Tom spent his early years working as a carpenter and doing construction. He eventually owned his own business as a contractor. He enjoyed the creativity of building new structures, remodeling, and working closely with his customers. For the last eighteen years Tom worked at Eagleridge Elementary school. Tom was very active in the school community with both teachers and students. Over the years he did many different things including tech support, worked with special needs students, supervised students, did committee work and was the vice president of the PSE union for the past number of years. Tom often said that working at Eagleridge made him a better person. Throughout his life, he was kind, thoughtful and generous with his time and skills. He was not afraid to take on a challenge and learn new things. He will be deeply missed by those who knew and loved him. There will be a Celebration of Life for Tom at the Squalicum Boathouse on November 24, 2019, from 1:00pm to 4:00pm.