Herman Taylor, 77, of Elkhart, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, June 8, 2024 at 10:55 pm while convalescing at the Woodland Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Elkhart. He was born in Hahira, Georgia on February 1, 1947 to the late Ernest and Mary N. (Hughes) Taylor. On July 29, 1989, Herman married Donna Martsolf in Elkhart. She survives him at home.

Also surviving Herman are his sons Herman (Cathy) Taylor, Jr. of Goshen and Richard Smith, II of South Bend; daughters Kristine M. (Dustin Hartman) Moran of Osceola, Julie A. Taylor of Long Beach, California and Mellisa A. (Derek Adams)  Smith of Mishawaka, his brother George A. "Andy" Taylor of Elkhart, grandchildren Bradley, Britney, Brionna, Bridget, Braedon, Shelby, Alyssa, Neil, Richard III, Ethan, Gillian, Emma, Carson, Angela, Nathan and Amanda; 16 great grandchildren, and a loving host of nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family. Preceding Herman in death is a brother, Steve R. Taylor.

In accordance with his wishes, cremation has taken place with the assistance of Billings Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Elkhart. While no immediate services have been scheduled, the family plans to have Herman's remains buried in a nearby National Cemetery in the near future.

Herman worked most of his life as an electrician and a plumber, but secretly always planned to "hit it big" during one of his visits to "The Boat" in Michigan City. He was no stranger to hard work and long hours, but he loved the unlimited possibilities brought about by games of chance. In fact, his other indulgence was scratch-off tickets, and nothing made him happier than marching back into the store, ticket in hand, and claim his winnings. Donna, on the other hand, also liked it when her "Loverboy" won big, but could not stand having all of the tiny, gray scratch-off shavings everywhere!

Another big "gamble" in life that just thrilled Herman was fishing, although he'd probably tell you that fishing was definitely NOT a sport of chance, but a noble pastime of refined gentlemen who simply need a brief retreat from their everyday responsibilities to gather their thoughts. Donna would say that's most likely hogwash but it did sound like a pretty good excuse when he came home empty handed. In all seriousness, fishing was Herman's "zen" and he simply cherished any time he was able to "wet a line".

Herman loved to busy himself with things to do and working in the yard ranked pretty high up there on his list. He was an absolute fanatic about the condition of his yard, and he spent countless hours coiffing and trimming his yard, flowers and plants to the utmost of horticultural perfection. Everyone learned, though, soon enough, that if you outwardly showed any interest towards Herman's yard projects, you'd get an automatic personal tour and extended story about how whatever yard subject matter all came to be. In fact, his family had laughed at the concept that he constantly would host yard sales but would hardly ever sell anything. He collected and then "resold" just about everything, including Disney memorabilia and countless baseball and basketball cards. Sales were only secondary to his desire and ability to meet and talk to new people.

He also enjoyed camping and spending time in the backwoods or travelling down to Florida to visit relatives and to pay respect at the graves of his forefathers. In fact, Herman was an honorably discharged US Army veteran who served as a mess sergeant in Vietnam with the 10th Infantry Division, so the importance of remembering the sacrifices of others ran thick in Herman's blood.

All in all, Herman lived his best life and enjoyed it to the fullest. He adored his children and his grandchildren, and simply loved his sweet Donna in his own uniquely quirky way. In fact, it was rumored that he had planned to take Donna to Hawaii on their 35th wedding anniversary. And if that wasn't enough to demonstrate Herman's love, he had promised that on their 40th wedding anniversary he'd think about going back to get her!

Memorial donations made in Herman's name may be given to the Alzheimer's Foundation (alzfdn.org).

Alzheimer's Foundation of America
322 Eighth Ave, 16th Floor, New York NY 10001
Tel: 1-866-232-8484
Email: info@alzfdn.org
Web: https://alzfdn.org/donate/