Phillip Rogers Taylor Sr., a distinguished aerospace engineer who worked for more than four decades with the U.S. space program, passed away on December 8, 2018. He is survived by his wife, Cheryl “Sherry” Fox Taylor; his sons, Phillip Rogers Taylor Jr. (Melissa) of Mableton, GA, and Bradley Michael Taylor (Lisa) of Okinawa, Japan; and his grandchildren, Mackenzie Taylor of Mableton, GA, Mason Taylor and Liam Taylor, both of Okinawa, Japan, and Aaron Carver of Sandy Springs, GA. He was preceded in death by his parents, Andrew Chapman Taylor and Jonelle Rogers Taylor, and his brother, Morris Taylor.
Phil was born in Fulton, KY, and grew up in South Fulton, TN. As a child and young man, Phil developed his lifelong love for nature and animals, raising everything from pigeons to flying squirrels. Determined to embark on a career in science, he never missed a day of school and graduated from South Fulton High School in 1959 with a strong work ethic, a mind for physics and engineering, and the ability to be a friend to everyone he met.
Both he and his older brother, Morris, worked together as golf caddies, completed co-ops and earned scholarships so they could become the first in the Taylor family to attend and finish college. Phil attended the University of Tennessee at Martin and earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering physics from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in 1963. The spirit of Rocky Top never left him as he rooted for his beloved Volunteers for more than seven decades.
His first full-time work took him to San Diego, CA, where he met his lifelong love, Sherry. After Phil started a job as an engineer at Brown Engineering in Huntsville in 1965, he returned to San Diego, married his sweetheart on July 3, 1965, and made Huntsville a home for his family.
During his career working first on the Saturn V and then the Space Shuttle, Phil rose through the engineering ranks to become chief engineer at United Space Boosters Inc. (USBI) and then the United Space Alliance. He directed work on the boosters and other shuttle components for every shuttle mission until he retired in July 2007.
A devoted father, Phil coached many of his sons’ teams, rarely missing any of their ice hockey, soccer or baseball games. He was also an avid hunter and collector of M1 carbines, military and space memorabilia and coins, often showcasing his collection at gun shows across the Southeast. He played tennis and golf and often took his family boating along the Tennessee River.
In his retirement, Phil loved few things more than his home on the lake in Hampton Cove, where he could be seen feeding the ducks, dozens of which would flock to him whenever he came outside.
Visitation will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 16, at Laughlin Service Funeral Home, followed by a memorial service at 3 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Phil’s name to a favorite charity.
