District 4 election commissioner dies at 70

John Lee Taylor, longtime educator, election commissioner and community leader, died last week.

He was featured in The South Reporter’s 2011 Profile Edition. Education is his legacy.

At 70, he enjoyed life right up to the end, traveling in the summer to Chicago, Ill., to see his daughter, Chere Taylor, graduate with her Master’s degree in health care administration. She works for the VA Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.

Taylor, of the Marianna community, also traveled to Florida for a family vacation this summer. Naomi Taylor, his wife of 42 years, said he traveled even though he has struggled a long time with back pain. Naomi said this week that his children were most important to him in life. And education of children where he taught, coached and served as assistant principal in Tate County (about 40 years), more specifically at Independence, was also a priority.

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