Robert R. Taylor, Jr was born in Bradford, Tennessee on October 30, 1931 to Russell and Vera Taylor. He spent his childhood on the family farm in the Locust Grove Community in Gibson County. When he was in high school, the family moved to Lansing, Michigan. Robert graduated from Eastern High School in Lansing. He holds degrees from Freed-Hardeman College, David Lipscomb College and George Peabody College. He began preaching the gospel at age 17 and continued preaching the rest of his life.
He married Irene Crump in 1952. He spent several years as a history teacher at Mt. Juliet Junior High School before becoming a full time minister. He served as a minister at Churches of Christ in the following locations: Mt. Juliet, TN; Sharon, TN; Ripley MS and Ripley, TN. He began preaching at the Ripley Church of Christ in 1974 and served as the minister until retiring in 2010. He remained an active member of the congregation until his death. He was a prolific writer of religious materials, authoring over 30 books and numerous articles and chapters in Lectureship books. He has preached in gospel meetings and lectureships in churches of Christ across the nation.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Irene in 2017. He is survived by his children, Rebecca (Philip) Davis of Tullahoma and Tim (Sherra) Taylor of Nashville; grandchildren, Ryan (Sarah) Davis, Jonathan Davis and Jeff Taylor of Nashville and Lori Beth Taylor of Smyrna, Tennessee; and great-grandchildren Luke and Charlotte Davis.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to the Ripley Church of Christ, (PO Box 464, Ripley, TN 38063) or to the Robert and Irene Taylor scholarship fund at the Memphis School of Preaching (3950 Forest Hill Irene Rd, Memphis, TN 38125).
The funeral service will be on Friday, March 31 at the Ripley Church of Christ, 1499 Highway 51, Ripley Tennessee. Visitation will be from 1 to 4 pm with the funeral following at 4:00. The burial will be at the Locust Grove Cemetery in Bradford, Tennessee at 2:00 on Saturday, April 1. Garner Funeral Home of Ripley has charge of the services.
