Raymond Taylor

Raymond William Taylor age 73 of New Hampton, IA, formerly of Cedar Rapids, died Sunday, December 4, 2022, at New Hampton Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. A memorial service will be held 11:00 a.m. Saturday, JANUARY 7, 2023, at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, New Hampton with Michael Vote presiding. If you are unable to attend, you may join live via ZOOM Meeting ID 817 2187 1348 PASSCODE 1234 Funeral arrangements are with Hugeback - Johnson Funeral Home &Crematory in New Hampton. Raymond William Taylor was born June 30, 1949, in Grinnell, IA, the son of John and Margery (McSherry) Taylor. He grew up in the Brooklyn and Guernsey area with his four brothers and one sister and received his education at BGM, graduating with the Class of 1967. Ray was a hard worker throughout his life, and he was employed at several places — a lumber yard and a Brown’s Shoe Store (we had an uncanny ability to remember a customer’s shoe size) before getting a job at Amana Refrigeration as a mechanical specialist. His first day of work at Amana was September 5, 1975 and he remained at the plant until March 31, 2009, when he retired. He also served in the Iowa National Guard for nearly 18 years and received his honorable discharge with the rank of sergeant first class. As dedicated a worker as Ray was, where he really made his mark was with his family and his faith. One day, as he was driving around with a friend, he met Becky L. Tuttle and her sister. Ray and Becky hit it off almost immediately, began dating, fell in love and were married on October 30, 1977, in Brooklyn. The couple just celebrated their 45th Anniversary. They welcomed two children, Shannon and Rebecca who had a father who sacrificed for them and was always generous, loving and kind. They remember Dad taking them fishing and camping. He would always make ’Hobo Jo’s’ and cobbler. He also taught them how to play cribbage, although if he lost the first two games, he’d always suggest they play “best-out-of-five!” He thought it was important to teach his girls how to drive a manual transmission vehicle, otherwise you were ‘just steering”. Ray loved to cook and his barbecue chicken and special lasagna were, in a word, scrumptious. He was a dog lover, especially when it came to Duschess, Cuddles, Brandi and Bella, and he enjoyed his trips to Canada to go fishing with his friends and family. Ray became a Jehovah’s Witness as an adult, and one of the fond memories the Taylors will always have is going with him to what were called Kingdom Hall Quick Builds, where he would lend his plumbing and other skills as a group built a hall in a matter of days. Ray was always handy, and he’d help anyone who needed it. He was a proud grandfather to Hannah, Luke and Isaiah, and it was always a great day for Ray when he was with them. He taught them how to play cards and, just like with his kids, he loved too tease and tickle them…but everyone knew better than to touch papa’s feet. This wonderful, hard-working family man will be missed by all those that knew him, but they are comforted by the fact that a today he is in Jehovah’s memory. Survivors include his wife, Becky of New Hampton; two daughters, Shannon (Josh) Poland of Springville, IA; Rebecca (Mark) Leichtman of Fredericksburg; three grandchildren, Hannah (Cody) Benhart of Rockford, IA, Luke Leichtman of New Hampton, Isaiah Poland of Appleton, WI; one sister, Barbara Taylor of Marion, IA; three brothers, James Taylor of Scottsdale, AZ, Kenneth (Marty) Taylor of Miami, FL, Emmett (Michelle) Taylor of Mahtomedi, MN; many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Richard “Dick” Taylor.