DL Capt. Larry Taylor

 

~ IN MEMORY ~

USAF veteran, DL Capt. Larry Taylor

March 27, 1938 ~ February 17, 2026

 

Larry Joe Taylor joined Delta Air Lines 07-19-1965.  He is survived by his wife Joan Schaller Taylor, and by his children and their families.  Larry had most recently resided in Georgia : 1090 Hardeman Mill Rd # H, Madison, GA 30650.

 

PCN memorial site

https://www.briggsfuneralhome.com/obituaries/larry-taylor also

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/larry-taylor-obituary?id=60855662

Larry Taylor Obituary

Larry Joe Taylor, 87, passed away peacefully at his home in Morgan County, GA on February 17, 2026.

Larry was born March 27, 1938 in Asheboro NC. He was brought home to the family farm in Denton NC where he spent his childhood raising chickens and cows and learning about tractors, steam engines, and helping run the family saw mill. Larry graduated as salutatorian of Denton High School's Class of '56 and went on to earn a BS in Mechanical Engineering from N.C. State in 1960.

After graduation, he was commissioned as a 2nd LT in the Air Force via the ROTC program and upon earning his wings, selected C-130's as his primary platform. After 4 years of active duty he transitioned to F-102's in the Louisiana Air National Guard based in New Orleans while beginning his career with Delta Airlines. He retired from Delta after 32 years as an international L10-11 Captain amassing over 27, 000 flight hours.

Following his retirement from Delta, Larry's love of aviation led him and Joan to fly their WWII trainer (Stearman biplane) round trip from their farm and grass airstrip to San Diego, Maine, and various other aviation attractions. He was especially fond of giving airplane rides from the grass strip which had quickly replaced a cotton field on the farm. Friends, relatives - almost any willing passenger was welcome for a brief ride - or even an occasional loop or roll for those who dared, he was more than willing to oblige.

Once the children left home, Larry grew tired of fixing fences and chasing cows, and his interest in antique airplanes continued to grow. Children and relatives spread across the nation presented excuses for trips to North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana, California, Maine, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Oklahoma. Any place with a grass runway was especially appealing to him. He never grew tired of the attraction that the sound of that round engine seemed to have for WWII vets who were almost guaranteed to appear at those smaller airports with stories of the last time they saw an open cockpit plane on their runway.

Larry maintained close ties to his roots as well as he ran a steam powered sawmill for 30 years at the Southeast Old Thresher’s Reunion in Denton NC. He loved living in the jet age while still volunteering to demonstrate steam power as a way to educate all who were interested in the ways of the past.

While Larry was flying for Delta from New Orleans, a blind date at a rodeo in May of 1968 introduced him to Joan Schaller. They married that December 28th and bought the farm in Georgia three months later. It was on that farm where he would gently pass away surrounded by family after 58 years of marriage. Larry is preceded in death by his parents Jesse Caswell Taylor and Ethel Elliott Taylor, his brother Caswell Leonidis Taylor, and his grandson Jackson Wellington Hatfield. He is survived by his wife Joan Schaller Taylor, daughter Amanda (Mike) Hatfield and their children Katherine Jane Hatfield and Jeb Thomas Hatfield, his son Matthew (Candace) Taylor and their children Jocelyn McKenzie Taylor and Maxwell James Taylor, and his son Benjamin (Anna Greta) Taylor and their children Benjamin Caswell Taylor, Mary Ella Anne Taylor, and Abigail Grace Taylor, his sister Angeline Taylor (William) Mills and their children Taylor Mills and Lou Ellen Mills.

A graveyard service and reception will be held on February 23rd at 4 PM at Lineberry United Methodist Church in Denton NC. A celebration of life will be held on March 14th at Bostwick United Methodist Church in Bostwick GA with a reception to follow at Taylor Farm.

In lieu of flowers please consider donating to the Jack Hatfield Memorial Scholarship. Donations can be made at BSH Knights (please specify Larry's name) or they can be mailed to: Jack Hatfield Memorial Scholarship Fund, The Blessed Sacrament Huguenot School, 2501 Academy Road, Powhatan VA 23139.