Leslie Taylor, of Creal Springs
Leslie Taylor, age 87, of Creal Springs, IL, passed away Friday morning, December 28, 2018, at Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion, IL.
He was born September 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 December 28, 2018.
A devoted husband, father, and affectionate grandfather; he loved his wife Wanda 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 to 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 for President Eisenhower during his 3-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 2 children: Lyman (Toni) Taylor of Creal Springs, IL and Elizabeth (Paul) Lybarger of Wendelin, IL; grandchildren: Travis Taylor, Cassie (Richard) Groff, Lauren (Josh) Few, Leo Lybarger, and Rene (David) Edwards; great-grandchildren: Jonah Taylor; 2 brothers: James (Kathy) Taylor of Matteson, IL and Loren (Gayla) Taylor ofMarion, IL; as well as a number of nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents.
The visitation will be 5 until 8 p.m. Sunday, December 30, 2018, at Cosby-Sloan Funeral Home in Creal Springs. Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Monday, December 31, 2018, at Cosby-Sloan Funeral Home in Creal Springs. The burial will take place at the County Line Cemetery, rural Creal Springs.