Wallace K. Taylor

Wallace (Wally) Kerry Taylor, 94, of Manhattan passed from this life on Wednesday, August 7, 2019, at his home surrounded by loving family. He was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather and will be missed. Wallace was born in Glen Elder, Kansas on January 13, 1925, to James Taylor and Mabel (Amis) Taylor. He was their fifth child born 17 years after sister, Barbara (George) Merker, who was like a second mother to him. He had 2 older brothers, John Robert Taylor and James Richard Taylor and another older sister, Georgia Taylor Bates. Wallace lived through the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. He loved telling stories about the Plaza Theater he and his family had; yes, silent films complete with a piano player, which later became a skating rink. Traveling vaudeville troupes would also perform in the theater. Wallace’s first car was a Model A. On August 3, 1943, shortly after graduating from Glen Elder High School, WW II was heating up and Wallace was inducted into the Army Air Corps. He began training at Texas Tech University as a fighter pilot. Not long after he was told they had enough pilots and was asked to select a different area. He opted for Air Gunnery and Armament Training and became the toggelier on a B-17. He was assigned to the 303rd Bomb Group also known as Hell’s Angels. He outlived every member of his flight crew and cherished the bond he had with them. They flew 30 missions over Germany including a crash landing in Belgium on their first time out. Wallace was proud of serving his country. After the war, Wallace returned home to his high school sweetheart, Maxine Louise German. They were united in marriage on June 2, 1946, and were happily married for 58 years. Maxine passed away on March 13, 2004. She was the love of his life. The newlyweds moved to Manhattan where Wallace attended Kansas State University earning a B.S. and M.S. of Physical Science - Geology. He worked for the State Of Kansas Highway Department as a Regional Geologist his entire 41 year career. Wallace was instrumental in the construction of I-70 persuading farmers to allow it to be built on their land and by drilling all along the route to make certain the soil would support a major highway. If any traveler along the way needed assistance Wallace always stopped and offered a helping hand. Wallace is survived by his 4 children, Mitchell (Janet) Taylor, Thunder Bay, Canada, Marsha (Chuck) McCarthy, Manhattan, KS, J. Vance (Brenda) Taylor, Grand Forks, ND, and Traci Taylor, Manhattan, KS. His 7 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren brought him immense joy. Grandchildren are Justin McCarthy, Tierra McCarthy (Dimond), Payton Taylor, Brittney (Jacob) Wynne, Derek (Carly) Taylor, Jesse Mollner and Sarah (Dwayne) Embrey. Great-grandchildren are Blake Dimond, Brylie Dimond, Taylor McCarthy, Brace McCarthy, Justin Embrey, Sonja Embrey, Rian Embrey, and Tyler Mollner. Wallace is also survived by many in-laws, nieces, and nephews. His family will miss his wonderful sense of humor, quick wit and the stories he loved to tell about the old days growing up and his experiences during WW II. Wallace is also survived by his little lapdog, Oscar, who was his constant companion for over 14 years. Wallace enjoyed hunting and fishing including a few trips to Great Slave Lake in Canada. After retiring he and Maxine enjoyed traveling with Maxine’s sisters Phyllis (Bill) Whited and Lois (Dale) Rafie and Maxine’s brother Harold (Marlene) German. Yearly family reunions held at Maxine’s sister’s, Gloria (Dwayne) Black were a highlight in Wallace’s later years. Wallace was an avid poker player and played on a regular basis with a group of geology professors and work colleagues, many of whom preceded him in death. Until the end, he took great pleasure in beating all of us! He also loved westerns especially if John Wayne was the star. Wallace requested a graveside memorial service which will be held at 12:30 p.m. on, Sunday, September 29, 2019, at the Glenwood Cemetery, Glen Elder Kansas. A luncheon will follow at the American Legion.