Yewell Taylor

BERTRAND, Mo. — Yewell Junior Taylor, age 83, passed away on Monday, May 6, 2019, at his home in Bertrand.

He was born June 6, 1935, in Lilbourn, to the late Yewell and Lucille Martin Taylor.

On Aug. 16, 1952, at Bloomfield, he married Shirley Clayton Taylor, the love of his life.

Other survivors include: four children, Joyce (PeeWee) Kennedy of Sikeston, Bruce (Patrice) Taylor of Sikeston, Sharon (Ron) Englehaupt of Wappapello and Charlotte (Brian) Otte of Ste. Genevieve; two brothers, Larry Taylor of Benton and Rick (Barbara) Taylor of Sikeston; one sister, Beverly (David) Allred of Whitewater; two sisters-in-law, Phyllis Mattison of Sikeston and Betsy Hampton of Dexter; 11 grandchildren; 32 great-grandchildren; seven great-great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; one brother, Glen Taylor; two sisters, Vera Black and Shirley Warren; one grandchild, Ryan Otte; and one great-grandchild, Jerry Mote.

Yewell Junior was a machinist and tool and die maker for 55 years and ran his own shop, Taylor Machine, for the last 30 years.

He loved fishing and hunting, but most of all he loved being with his family. His favorite saying was, "If you don't have your family, you don't have anything.”

Visitation will be held Thursday, May 9 from 11 a.m. until time of funeral services at 1 p.m. at Ponder Funeral Home in Sikeston. David Warren will officiate.