William Philips Taylor

On Oct. 22, 2015, Walla Walla native William P. (Bill) Taylor, 93, passed away at home with his family by his side. Bill was born on Sept. 9, 1922, to William H. and Bonnie (Moore) Taylor. Due to family circumstances, he was raised by his grandparents, Columbus and Cenna Taylor.

Bill attended Washington grade school, where he got his first “paying job” serving as a member of the traffic patrol. The compensation was a 15-cent ticket to the Roxy Theater each week. As this was during the Depression, Bill knew this job was the only way he could afford to attend a movie. When he was a little older, he worked for the Union-Bulletin delivering papers, and for his step-father, Lester Barrett, as a ranch hand.

Bill entered Walla Walla High School in 1936. An injury he suffered playing baseball his freshman year made his future in sports look bleak, so Bill made school work his focus. He was later selected for membership in the National Honor Society, of which he became president in his senior year. He also was pleased to serve that year as the president of the senior class. During high school, Bill took advantage of the government-sponsored Civilian Pilot Training Program, through which he earned a private pilot’s license in 1939.

Following graduation in 1940, Bill entered Washington State College. His studies were interrupted part way through his second year by the start of World War II. Since he already had a pilot’s license, he wanted to fly during the war. The day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Bill called the Army and volunteered for the Air Corps. He was called to active duty on May 8, 1942.

Following a delay in starting due to a lack of instructors and equipment, Bill proceeded through basic and advanced flight training and graduated as a second lieutenant and pilot in February 1944. He was promoted to first lieutenant in May 1945. Bill wanted to fly fighter planes but there was a greater need for multiengine pilots so he was trained to fly B-25’s. Bill loved the B-25, as it was the most heavily armed bomber the Army fielded and he looked forward to going to North Africa with a B-25 bomber unit. When he finished his B-25 training, however, the Army determined there was then a greater need for troop carrier pilots and sent Bill for additional training on C-47’s to learn how to pull gliders and drop paratroopers.

Bill was a bit disappointed, since the only arms this plane carried was a .45 handgun the pilot could point out the window. But, he eventually learned to appreciate the C-47 for its ability to keep flying, even when riddled with flak and bullet holes.

In July 1944, Bill was assigned to the 84th Troop Carrier Group and flew paratrooper and glider missions from an air base west of London, England, into France, Belgium and Holland. In early 1945, the group was transferred to an air base east of Paris and he flew paratrooper, glider and resupply missions into Germany. During his time in the Air Corps, Bill earned five air medals and a presidential citation. He felt very heroic until he learned that being awarded five medals was about average for most pilots. Then he was just happy he wasn’t a “below average hero.”

Released from active duty service in November 1945, Bill returned to WSC to pursue his degree in business administration. It was during this time that he met Marian Cannon, a 1943 Walla Walla High School graduate who was also attending WSC. After both graduated in 1947, they were married in January 1948. They moved to Grandview, Wash., where Bill began working for Standard Oil and a few years later, the Carnation Company. While living in Grandview, Bill and Marian had two daughters, Barbara and Lorna.

Bill then got a job with the Boeing Company in Seattle, working on the Supersonic Transport program, and moved the family to Bellevue in 1960. In 1963, following the cancellation of the SST program, Bill began working for North American Aviation, which later become Rockwell International, and moved the family to San Clemente in southern California. He worked as a business manager for Rockwell’s Apollo shuttle programs and was once honored to act as the host for three of the NASA astronauts on their trip to California. After 26 years with the company, Bill retired in 1989.

In 2002, with the population and traffic around San Clemente growing tremendously, and with their daughters living elsewhere in California, Bill and Marian decided to move back to Walla Walla. In Walla Walla, they still had many old friends and family members, including Marian’s sister, Millie Elmgren. Bill enjoyed playing golf, managing his investments, reading the news, watching sports, and caring for his yard and immaculate garage.

Bill was a loving husband and father. He was a constant source of inspiration to his daughters, whom he encouraged to work hard to achieve their goals. He was the person to whom the family turned for guidance when difficult decisions had to be made. But it was his sense of humor for which Bill was best known and he made many jokes about the things in life he found amusing.

Bill is survived by Marian, his wife of 67 years; his daughter, Barbara Taylor of Walla Walla; his daughter and son-in-law, Lorna and Douglas Zlock of Walnut Creek, Calif.; his grandson, Ryan Zlock, attending Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa.; his step-grandsons, Daniel, Brian, and Andrew Barbara and their families in Torrance, Calif.; his nephew Erik (Kathy) Elmgren of Kennewick; his nephew, Jon (Martha) Elmgren of Snohomish, Wash.; and his cousin, Shari (Dean) Derby of Walla Walla.

According to his wishes, there will be no funeral service. Memorial contributions may be made in his memory to the American Cancer Society or the Walla Walla Community Hospice through the Herring Funeral Home, 315 W. Alder, Walla Walla, WA.