Taylor, Gary Wayne's Obituary
Obituary for Gary Wayne Taylor
Gary Wayne Taylor was born on September 23, 1937 in Dallas, Texas, and entered into eternal rest on March 28, 2025, at the age of 87, after developing complications following a pelvic fracture.
Gary is preceded in death by his beloved wife, Delores; father, Homer; mother, Lois; sister, Sharon; and sister Lois Rogers (survived by brother-in-law, Richard). He is survived by his son, Larry, of Dallas, and daughter, Donna Wilkins and husband Gerald of Richardson; grandsons, Blake Wilkins of Garland, and Chris Wilkins and wife Maddie of Dallas. He is also survived by his brother, David and wife Patricia of Atlanta, and brother Tim of Paris Texas, as well as numerous in-laws, nieces and nephews, all dear to his heart.
Gary began his career working on a survey team for his beloved MKT “Katy” Railroad. He was drafted into the Army in 1960, serving in the US 7th Army, 5th Armor Group, based in Mannheim, Germany. After returning home, he eventually went to college on the GI Bill, graduating with honors from the University of Texas at Arlington with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering.
He was noteworthy in the field of Civil Engineering, designing many roads, bridges and highways in the DFW area. Projects included the original design of LBJ Freeway and the George Bush Turnpike. His most prolific project was as the overall Project Manager for the design and reconstruction of Central Expressway in Dallas, between downtown and LBJ Freeway. The Central project was groundbreaking at the time, and in 1994, he won recognition for his work with the prestigious Luther DeBerry Award. The Luther DeBerry Award recognizes the outstanding contribution of an individual in the field of transportation in Texas.
In 1959, he married the love of his life, Delores Grubbs. They spent 60 happy years together, always living in the Dallas metroplex, and raised their children in Garland. He had a life-long love of gardening, railroads and Texas Rangers baseball. He and Delores worked together on family genealogy, with Gary creating a digital archive of hundreds of ancestors dating back to the 19th century. He solved a family mystery by discovering the history of his grandfather, who went missing in 1932. He was the rock of his family, selfless and always there for others in times of need.
Gary’s faith was very important to him. He accepted Christ as his Savior and was a member of the First Baptist Church of Dallas.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, April 10th, 2025 from 6:00pm-8:00pm at Restland Funeral Home.
Service will be held on Friday, April 11th, 2025 at 9:30AM at the Memorial Chapel of the Restland Funeral Home.
The family wishes to thank his friends and the staff at HarborChase of Plano, who gave him a home and helped care for him.
For those who are unable to attend, Please see the link below for live streaming.
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