Sources |
- [S75] Atchley Funeral Home Records, Volume II, 1955-1973, Larry D. Fox, (Smoky Mountain Historical Society), 1 Nov 1964.
Vivian Trentham Ogle obituary
- [S23] Atchley Funeral Home, (http://www.atchleyfuneralhome.com/), 28 Dec 2009.
Michael G. Taylor
January 10, 1959 - December 28, 2009
Birthplace: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Resided In: Pigeon Forge Tennessee USA
Visitation: December 30, 2009
Service: December 31, 2009
Cemetery: Smoky Mountain Memory Gardens
Michael G. Taylor, age 50 of Pigeon Forge, passed away Monday, December 28, 2009.
Mike had served with the Gatlinburg Fire Department since 1977 and currently held the rank of Captain. He was a member of the International Association of Firefighters and the Tennessee Professional Firefighters Association. Mike was preceded in death by his father, Gene “Rusty” Taylor.
Survivors:
Sons: Matthew Taylor
Daughter: Meghan Taylor
Mother: Hazel Ogle Taylor
Brother and sister-in-law: David and Angie Taylor
Sister and brother-in-law: Dee Dee and Bob Trentham
Nephews: Andy and Aaron Taylor, Luke and Paul Trentham, Stephen and Brandon Hill
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Gatlinburg Firefighters Association, P.O. Box 91, Gatlinburg, Tennessee 37738.
Funeral service 10 AM Thursday in the West Chapel of Atchley Funeral Home with Rev. Bill Merritt, Rev. W.A. Galyon officiating. Interment will follow in Smoky Mountain Memory Gardens with Gatlinburg Fire Department Chaplain, Rev. Mitch Ayers officiating. The family will receive friends 5-7 PM Wednesday at Atchley Funeral Home, Sevierville. (www.atchleyfuneralhome.com)
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 29 Dec 2009.
Fire captain’s death saddens Gatlinburg officials; Mike Taylor had served community for 32 years
By DEREK HODGES
GATLINBURG — Firefighters, city officials and local residents are mourning today after the surprise death of a 32-year veteran of the fire department.
Capt. Michael G. “Mike” Taylor, 50, started with the emergency crew on Oct. 17, 1977, since then building a reputation for being a dedicated and caring firefighter, Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller said Monday.
“He was a good leader and a good captain,” Miller said. “He was a firefighter’s captain; he always made sure his men were taken care of. In 32 years serving a small community like this, he touched a lot of lives. We’ve already had people calling and stopping by to express their sympathy.”
Miller was joined in offering praise for Taylor by Gatlinburg City Manager Cindy Cameron Ogle, who lauded Taylor’s lengthy service to Gatlinburg.
“The city is very much saddened by Mike’s death,” Ogle said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his immediate family and his city family, especially the folks at the Fire Department.”
In more than three decades with the city, Taylor became known among his fellow emergency workers for his dependability. That’s why it seemed so strange to his coworkers when he didn’t show up for work Monday morning.
“He was supposed to work and when he didn’t show up, we knew something was wrong,” Miller said. “In 32 years he had never been late for a shift.”
With those concerns, Miller and a couple others set out from the station in an effort to figure out what might have held Taylor up.
“We were afraid he may have had an accident on his way in. We went to check on him because we try to look out for each other. That’s part of being a firefighter,” Miller said.
The men discovered Taylor’s body at his Pigeon Forge home and immediately set to notifying his family, which includes Pigeon Forge Chief Planner David Taylor, who is his brother. Miller said it appeared Taylor died of natural causes, though the death was sudden and unexpected.
“Things are very somber around here today,” Miller said of the mood at the fire station Monday. “Most of our guys are in shock.”
Miller called in extra chaplains to help his men as they grieved and was working closely to help Taylor’s family make the necessary funeral arrangements, including those needed for the honors given to a fallen firefighter. Taylor was a member of the International Association of Firefighters and the Tennessee Professional Firefighters Association.
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that memorial contributions be made to The Gatlinburg Firefighters Association, P.O. Box 91, Gatlinburg, Tennessee 37738.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday in the West Chapel of Atchley Funeral Home with the Revs. Bill Merritt and W.A. Galyon officiating. Interment will follow in Smoky Mountain Memory Gardens with Gatlinburg Fire Department Chaplain Mitch Ayers officiating. The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.
dhodges@themountainpress.com
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 31 Dec 2009.
Saying farewell to 304
Firefighters line the walkway as the pallbearers, Mike Taylor’s fellow Gatlinburg firefighters, carry the coffin to his final resting place. (Curt Habraken/The Mountain Press)
By DEREK HODGES
GATLINBURG — As black-suited firefighters gathered around in a cold rain Thursday, some of them reaching up occasionally to wipe away tears, to pay their last respects to Gatlinburg Fire Department Captain Mike Taylor, their radios suddenly came to life as a unique tribute for a fallen firefighter split the frigid, silent morning air.
“Central to 304. Central to 304. Last call 304,” a county dispatcher said, using Taylor’s badge number and giving the call that was often used to get Taylor’s attention during his 32 years of service with the department. “Captain Mike Taylor has completed his tour of duty with the Gatlinburg Fire Department.”
The service for Taylor, 50, was the first Sevier County had seen for an active duty emergency worker since the death of Sheriff Bruce Montgomery in 2007. Traffic came to a standstill along some of the busiest local roads as uniformed crews from fire departments, police departments and the ambulance service stood with their hands over their hearts as the funeral procession passed.
Among that line of vehicles were trucks and cruisers from more than 20 East Tennessee departments, including Knoxville, Maryville, Alcoa, Athens and Morristown, as well as all the local ones. Those emergency crews were also among the crowd that gathered first at Atchley Funeral Home and then at Smoky Mountain Memory Gardens to say farewell to Taylor, who passed away unexpectedly sometime Sunday night.
Taylor’s gear hung in a corner of the West Chapel at the funeral home, while his flag-draped coffin sat at the front of the room attended by an honor guard from the Gatlinburg Fire Department. With black bands over their badges, the rest of Taylor’s fellow firefighters filed in, filling up an entire side of the space.
The Revs. W.A. Galyon and Bill Merritt each offered words about Taylor during the service, assuring those gathered he had “gone on to a home with the Lord.”
“For 32 years, according to the paper, he never was late for a shift. That says something,” Galyon said. “We don’t know exactly what happened. We just know the Lord called him home sometime the other night.”
Merritt, likewise, offered praise for Taylor and comfort for those who mourned his passing.
“What a way to start a new year – at home in heaven with the Lord,” Merritt said. “Mike loved people. He loved to help people. He loved that community up there that he served. What a wonderful thing that Mike was known for how he loved and cared for people.”
At the graveside service, firefighters lined the walkway as Taylor’s coffin and family were led to his final resting place. Gatlinburg Fire Department Chaplain Mitch Ayers officiated there, offering more words of comfort.
“Why Mike had to go the other day, I don’t know, but God has a plan,” Ayers said. “He spent his life dedicated to saving lives. He was not alone when his was over. (God) was right there watching.”
With Ayers’ tribute completed, a firefighter’s bell was rung in three sets of five chimes symbolizing the end of Taylor’s service.
“This represents the end of our comrade’s duties and that he will be returning to quarters,” Chief Greg Miller explained, his voice cracking with emotion.
The ringing of the bell was followed by the radio tribute, and the playing of “Amazing Grace” on bagpipes and “Taps” on a trumpet. Taylor’s mother, Hazel, was presented with the flag from his coffin, as brother David Taylor, chief planner in Pigeon Forge, and sister Dee Dee Trentham offered her and Mike Taylor’s children, Matthew and Meghan, comfort.
“We thank you for Captain Mike Taylor’s service to the department and the city of Gatlinburg,” Miller said.
dhodges@themountainpress.com
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 31 Dec 2009.
Comrades remember Mike Taylor for his work ethic, sense of humor
Gatlinburg Chief Greg Miller presents the flag to Taylor’s mother, Hazel Ogle Taylor, seated with Taylor’s son Matthew and daughter Meghan. (Curt Habraken/The Mountain Press)
By DEREK HODGES
As they gathered to lay him to rest on New Year’s Eve, Captain Mike Taylor’s fellow firefighters offered their memories and thoughts on his 32 years of service to the Gatlinburg Fire Department and the city.
Countless stories were told as the uniformed men and women milled about before the start of the funeral service, some bringing a tear and many prompting deep belly laughs. As the memorial got under way, several of those who served with Taylor pronounced touching eulogies for their fallen comrade.
“I was honored to work with Captain Taylor,” Chief Greg Miller said. “He made my job easier. Being new to Gatlinburg, I didn’t know all the street names. Mike would always tell me where they are and give me a landmark to help me figure it out.”
Taylor served as a role model and help not just for the new chief, but also for everyone in the department. In his 32 years of service, Taylor was never late for a shift, Miller said.
It was that dedication to his job that led Miller and others at the department to worry about Taylor when he didn’t show up on time Monday morning for his shift. A few officers with the department traced the route he would have taken to work, fearing Taylor might have had an accident, but instead found their fellow firefighter dead in his Pigeon Forge home.
Taylor had a connection with everyone in town, it seems, though it was clear where his allegiances were strongest, Miller said.
“He loved his family, he loved his department and he loved his sports,” Miller said with a chuckle. “At the station, we have been sitting around this week telling many stories to celebrate his life. That’s what he would have wanted.”
Like Miller, Lt. Wayne Brandenburg said he also spent the week thinking back on some of his best times with Taylor.
“I’ve been sitting back and thinking about all the good times, all the fun things we did together,” Brandenburg said. “That’s what I want to remember. Mike would want us to remember him that way.”
Taylor at times had something of a rocky relationship with higher-ups in Gatlinburg, filing a lawsuit against the city arguing, among other things, that he was passed over for and rightfully deserved a shot at the job of chief when it came open several years ago.
Still, Assistant County Mayor Greg Patterson, who was given the chief’s post over Taylor, offered plenty of praise for Taylor on Thursday.
“He was always very responsible,” Patterson said. “He was very, very knowledgeable about commanding a fire scene. Mike and all those folks who were captains when I came in, I really looked up to them. I had to look to Mike and all those officers for leadership and advice.”
Like many who knew Taylor, news of his sudden passing came as a shock to Patterson.
“I could not believe it,” Patterson said. “It’s still not really sunk in. He had such a great personality and he loved to joke and kid around. He’s going to be missed.”
Perhaps one of the most touching tributes of the day came from Firefighter Amanda Ogle, who vowed to remain loyal to Taylor’s leadership despite his death.
“We could always count on Captain,” Ogle said. “He was a great firefighter. He will be greatly missed and he will always be my captain.”
dhodges@themountainpress.com
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