William Thomas ‘Bill’ Taylor, Sr.
William Thomas “Bill” Taylor, Sr., 83, of Orangeburg, and widower of Peggy Troutt Taylor, died September 5, 2017 at Palmetto Health Richland Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina. Bill and Peggy were happily married for 59 years.
Funeral services will be conducted at the First Baptist Church of Orangeburg at 1:00pm on Thursday, September 14, 2017 with the Reverend Ryan Tucker officiating. Graveside services will follow at Memorial Park Cemetery. Visitation will be at Dukes Harley Funeral Home on Wednesday, September 13, 2017 from 6 to 8 p.m.
Pall bearers will be: John Crabtree, Sam Glover, Dr. Michael Salley, Lucky Buck, Dan Steffen, Herb Isaac, Dr. Spencer Dixon, Rob Hibbits, Dr. Brush Babb, Dr. Robert Cress, Jim Ferguson, Dan Sibley, and Jimmy Tucker.
Bill was born April 6, 1934 in Greer, South Carolina. He was a son of the late Rowell Beeco Taylor and Bernice Douglas Taylor. Bill graduated from Greer High School, where he excelled in football, basketball, baseball, and tennis. Bill is a member of the Greer High School Athletic Hall of Fame. He graduated from Presbyterian College in 1956, with a major in Economics and minors in Religion and Psychology. Bill played football and tennis at PC and was a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity.
Bill was a veteran of the U.S. Army. He began his long business career in textiles, which led him to Orangeburg, where he entered the hotel industry. Bill was the President and Owner of Hospitality Management Associates, Inc., and, over a period of over 40 years, developed, owned, and operated over 30 hotels in the Southeastern United States. These properties included Holiday Inns, Hampton Inns, Best Westerns, Quality Inns, and others. Bill was also involved in the apartment business through his investments with Meridia, Inc. In this capacity, he was involved in the development and ownership of over 3,000 apartment units in North and South Carolina.
Bill was a member of First Baptist Church in Orangeburg. Bill and Peggy were founding members of Trinity Presbyterian Church, and were active members for 31 years. Bill was also the song leader and an active member of Kiwanis for over 40 years. He was an honorary member of the Rotary Club, where he served as auctioneer for many years. He was a trustee of Orangeburg Regional Medical Center, and received the prestigious Kentucky Colonel Award from the State of Kentucky. He was also known for sharing his gift of music through his voice, harmonica and the piano. And of course, Bill always had a joke to share to make you laugh and smile.
Surviving are his three children: Kathryn Taylor Still and husband William Thomas Still, Jr. of Seneca, SC; William Thomas Taylor, Jr. and wife Malinda Lyons Taylor of Charlotte, NC; and Douglas Carl Taylor and wife Elizabeth Mann Taylor of Charlotte, NC. Also surviving are ten grandchildren and two great grandchildren: Jesse Franklin Stillinger, Amanda Stillinger Knauff, Peggy Ann Stillinger Gartman, Taylor Glen Young, William Thomas Taylor, III, Brittney Taylor Snipes, Benjamin Thomas Taylor, Matthew Bryan Imerman, Morgan Brittney Imerman, and Michael Brandyn Imerman, and great grandchildren, Jackson Paul Knauff and Perry Warner Young and two endeared loved ones; Naomi Strickland and Leola Smith. Bill was predeceased by his daughter, Margaret Elizabeth Taylor Stillinger and his great grandson Jeffrey Sawyer Knauff.
The family would like to thank all of the hospital staff on 11 East of Palmetto Health Richland Hospital for their loving care and support, also Berthe Pahatouo and Antonio Brown for their dedication during his home health care.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church of Orangeburg Building fund, New City Fellowship Church, PO Box 1372, Orangeburg, SC 29116 or www.gofundme.com/thesawyerfoundation.
Online condolences may be expressed at www.dukesharleyfuneralhome.com.
