The obituary, shown below, was copied from
http://freitagfuneralhome.com/obit_search.asp?ID=3577
(it may or may not still be available there)
William Converse Taylor, ‘Bill’
William Converse Taylor, ‘Bill’, age 69, of Bridgeton, passed away peacefully at home on September 13, 2017 surrounded by his loving family.
Born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, Bill was the son of the late Newell Converse Taylor and Anna Plankinton Taylor who were residents of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
Bill’s love of the outdoors began as a young boy growing up on his father’s Guernsey Dairy Farm in Kennett Square with his twin brother Ron and sister Jayne. Between milking shifts, the twins could be found pulling pranks like propping a vehicle on top of a soda bottle, playing with de-odorized skunks and protecting their sister, "The Princess of Bayard Road," from doing chores.
While in high school, Bill was a member of the wrestling team and also competed as a pole-vaulter. In addition to their farm work, the twins worked for their uncles, Harry and Herbie, by cleaning out the Carnation beds after years of use. Additionally, they worked for their uncle Howard, at his mushroom production business. Both Bill and Ron transitioned from cows to plants as they learned plants do not step on your feet nor smack you with their tails.
Bill began his nursery and landscape interest at Mill Creek Nursery in Newark, Delaware. One of his early memories working there was stripping the leaves off Corylus Avellana ‘Contorta’ in order to show off the twisted branches and cleaning unwanted debris off stake body dump trucks. During his senior year of high school, he met Marcia, on a blind date while watching "The Sound of Music" at the local movie theater. A budding relationship began.
He graduated from Kennett High School in 1966 and then attended the University of NY in Farmingdale where he earned an Associate Degree in Horticulture. He and his classmates, of which there were only nine graduates, of the nursery management department, could be found drinking refreshments after classes at the "Dew Drop Inn." While attending Farmingdale, he worked for Old Westbury Gardens as a grounds maintenance technician and Sweetwater Pines Nursery as a foreman of the landscape installation crew. He attended one semester at the University of Maryland before beginning his landscape career with Chapel Valley Landscape Company of Woodbine, Maryland.
His career was interrupted by the Vietnam War, as he enlisted in the Army for three years. Two of those years, he was stationed in Nuremberg, Germany, as a heavy equipment mechanic. Upon returning to the US, he continued his employment at Chapel Valley. He was most proud of being the project leader for the landscape installation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. His landscape resume also included the revitalization of the Baltimore Inner Harbor, Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, DC and the corporate offices of Mobil Oil.
He transitioned back from landscaping to growing, at Stadler Nursery of Laytonsville, Maryland. Serving as the head grower, this position prepared him for his retiring career. Beginning in 1988, he moved his family to New Jersey to serve as the first employee of Hopewell Nursery. After nearly 20 years of dedicated employment his adventured onto other endeavors. Bill’s work ethic was his legacy.
Bill married Marcia Loy Eastburn in 1968 in West Chester. They had two sons, Bill and Jonathan. His fondest memory with his boys was instilling a strong work ethic within them. This is evident in their continued self-employment.
Bill was a lifetime member of the American Legion, a member of the American Association of Nurseryman, and a proud supporter of the National FFA organization. He was an avid hunter, trapper, and fisherman. He loved buying and restoring antique tractors. He also enjoyed attending farm auctions, performing favors for family and friends, and spending time with his granddaughters.
Bill is survived by wife Marcia of 49 years, two sons, William T. Taylor (Crystal) and Jonathan C. Taylor (Samantha Syring), one sister Jayne L. Richter (David) of West Chester and his twin brother, Ronald N. Taylor (Donna) of Goodrich, MI, two granddaughters Caylen and Adalynn, and several cousins, nieces, and nephews.
Relatives and friends are invited to his Bill’s viewing on Monday, September 18th from 5 until 7 PM, with a Celebration of Life Service beginning at 7 PM at The Freitag Funeral Home, 137 W. Commerce Street in Bridgeton.
Graveside services with military honors will be held on Tuesday, September 19th at 11 AM at Longwood Cemetery in Kennett Square, PA.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to either Upper Deerfield EMS, PO Box 5035, Bridgeton, NJ 08302 or to Bayada Hospice, Attn: Cumberland County Team, 603 N. Broad St Suite 301, Woodbury, NJ 08096.