Terrance (Terry) Edward Taylor was born in Denver, Colorado, on January 10, 1944, to Kenneth and Cecilia (Hansen)Taylor. He was the younger of two boys lucky enough to have a loving set of grandparents who helped raise them. His grandfather, Gene Hansen, was an immigrant from Luxembourg and his grandmother, Addie, was a first generation American born to German immigrants. Terry had a great understanding of his ancestry and took pride in being a Colorado native. He and his brother Michael had many childhood adventures. These included trips with his father to Mexico and to ski the Colorado peaks as well as numerous outings with his mother and her variety of friends, many of whom were prominent in Denver area history. His ventures to interesting places in Colorado and beyond, as well as a long line of colorful characters, helped shape his entire life.

His father, who was an athlete in his own right, instilled a love for playing sports into his sons. Terry played baseball and football at Wheat Ridge High School until he graduated in 1962. He had a few offers to play college football, but ultimately decided to concentrate on school and attend the University of Colorado at Boulder. In 1967 he received his bachelor’s degree in political science and was the first and only member of his family with a college degree.

After college he set his sights on the future. Since he had a lot of experience in the restaurant business while working his way through college; he was hired by Stouffer Foods in Chicago, Illinois, to be a restaurant manager. After a very cold and miserable winter in Chicago, he realized he needed to get back home to his beloved Colorado as soon as possible and left.

Since he had taken an extra year to get his college degree it delayed having to serve in the military; but this was the era of the Vietnam War. He was called for duty and served in the Army and Air Force Reserve. He was stationed at Fort Dix in New Jersey and Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri and didn’t receive orders to fight in Vietnam. He was always proud of the time that he served in the military and was grateful to all the people that served our country.

In 1971 he married, Eleanor (Ellie) Johnston, whom he met in 1967, shortly after she came from college in Minnesota to teach elementary school in Denver. Ellie was his polar opposite as her life experiences growing up on a farm in rural northeast North Dakota near the Canadian border were completely different from his. She was his rock and wife of 53 years.

Soon after his marriage, Terry started his career at the Aurora Fire Department. He worked at a variety of stations in Aurora, but his favorite was Station 6, which was right in his home neighborhood of Mission Viejo. Terry reached the rank of Lieutenant. He enjoyed his career, but what he really loved were the many relationships and life long friendships with colleagues that he made along the way. The job of a firefighter can be a physical one and this work fit right in with his ultimate passion of physical fitness. Having a firefighter schedule of days off at a time, also gave him ample time to workout at health clubs, hike, and play his favorite sport, tennis.

Tennis was a big part of Terry’s life. He belonged to the local athletic club in Mission Viejo (Aurora) for decades. Along the way he played in tournaments and leagues and made many friends that shared his passion for the game. He even represented the Aurora Fire Department in the International Police and Fire Olympics in Canada, Tennessee, and Australia.

With the birth of his daughter, Margaret, in 1975 and his son, Patrick in 1978, the family was complete. Terry enjoyed spending time with them, attending their sporting events, and taking them on many vacations and adventures as his parents had done for him. Continuing family tradition, Terry and his brother Michael created a tight knit bond between their families, which included many fun parties and trips.

In 1992, at 49, he retired from the Aurora Fire Department. In many ways, this was the best time of his life as he was able to devote time to his favorite passions. He had more time to watch Margaret play high school tennis and Patrick play baseball in both high school and college. He took many trips including to Europe to visit with his extended family and trips to tropical locations.

Terry was an influence on his children in many ways. Through his connections as a firefighter, he helped Margaret land a summer job at Cherry Creek State Park when she was 19. That job helped her work her way up in the agency that she still works for today. Patrick followed directly in Terry’s footsteps and now is also a Lieutenant for the Aurora Fire Department.

His family would continue to grow when Margaret married Ryan Veach and Patrick married Erin Hoffman. In 2008, his first grandchild, Madeline was born and three more followed in quick succession; Colin, Avery and Ian. To them he was known as Big Daddy. He loved being a grandfather. He of course was a big influence on them as well, taking them on many trips to the mountains of Colorado and to Mexico, encouraging their sporting activities, and giving them (Terry style) sage advice.

In the later years of his life, facing Parkinson’s and Kidney Diseases, he couldn’t do all the things he used to do, but he never lost his love for life, his family, or a beautiful Colorado day. He passed away peacefully at home on April 12, 2025.

His family would like to thank the Parker DaVita Dialysis and Bristol Hospice teams for the amazing care in the last years and months of his life. They would also like to invite others to honor him by embracing their passions, enjoying the little moments, and getting outside.

According to his wishes, he will be interred at Ft. Logan National Cemetery. A celebration of life will be planned for summer 2025.