Funeral services for Dickie Ray Taylor were held on Monday, May 21, 2018, at 2:00 p.m. at Bowers Funeral Home in Teague, with Dr. Stephen Diaz officiating. Interment followed the services at Cotton Gin Cemetery.
Mr. Taylor passed away on Thursday, May 17, 2018, at his residence in Fairfield.
Dickie was born on June 14th, 1947 in Teague, Texas to Elmer Lester and Anna Marie Taylor.
He graduated from Teague High School in 1965. After high school, Dickie traveled the country ranching in Montana, assisting with the construction of the Alaska Pipeline, driving trucks, or rodeoing. In his life he had traveled to every state in the United States, minus Hawaii.
Dickie returned home to Freestone Country and began working in his true calling, Law Enforcement. He dedicated over 30 years of his life to serving and protecting the citizens of Freestone Country. He worked with Teague Police Department, Fairfield Police Department, and the Freestone Country Sheriff’s office where he retired from in 2009. He gained the highest certification in Law Enforcement, Master Peace Officer. He was best known for his work with estrays. Dickie could easily identify the owners of loose livestock based only on brand description. He would still receive calls for assistance from deputies long after his retirement. Dickie was also known to perform “traffic stops” on friends and family to give them fresh produce or Little Debbie snack cakes.
He enjoyed interacting with the community. You could often find him at Randall’s Barbershop, Robinson’s Trading Post, or I45 Coffee Shop visiting and joking with everyone. Dickie never met a stranger. He was always there to help and treated everyone with respect, even when he was taking them to jail. Dickie always said he would rather “talk someone into handcuffs rather than struggle with them”. While working for Freestone County Sheriff’s Office he also was also a volunteer firefighter with Fairfield Fire Department. He served as Range Master at the Sheriff’s Office shooting range, he taught Hunter’s Education and gun safety classes, and could always be relied on to fry fish or barbeque for Sheriff’s Office events.
Dickie married Suzanne Martin on March 24th, 1980 and they were happily married for 38 years until his passing.
In 1981 they welcomed daughter Elena and in 1984 they welcomed daughter Jennifer. Dickie always made it a point to be present for all of his daughter’s activities, even if he was on call. He could be seen standing by his patrol car at the softball field or standing at the door of the gymnasium. His girls were always his number one priority and would drop everything if they needed him. They had him wrapped around their fingers from day one.
After his retirement, Dickie enjoyed spending time with his family and helping out with events at the First United Methodist Church in Teague. Dickie enjoyed working with children and kids were drawn to him. He was like a big teddy bear and could make any child laugh or smile. He spent many weekends with his adopted grandchildren JB, Jenna, and Ressie and loved them like his own.
In 2016 he welcomed his grandson Ean. You could usually find them sharing a glass of tea and a snack while watching Mickey Mouse. They also enjoyed watching John Wayne movies together and doing their daily stretches. He loved his grandson deeply and thought he hung the moon and stars.
Dickie was truly an amazing person with amazing talents that will truly be missed by anyone who ever had the pleasure of meeting him.
He is survived by his wife, Suzanne Taylor of Fairfield; two daughters, Elena Howard & husband Nick of Buffalo, and Jennifer Taylor of Dallas; one grandson, Ean Howard; one brother, Randy Taylor of Corsicana; two sisters, Nancy Jones of Austin and Donna Gilliam of Teague; one sister-in-law, Cathy Taylor; numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends and special extended family members, J. B. Haden, Jenna Haden, and Ressie Margraves.
Dickie was preceded in death by his parents, Lester & Marie Taylor; two brothers, Burton Taylor and Harvey D. Taylor; two sisters, Kim Taylor and Betty Schroeder; and two nieces, Angela Gilliam and Misty Taylor.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Golden Circle Special Needs Association, P.O. Box 1290, Fairfield, TX 75840. This non-profit group raises money to support children with special needs.
To leave a message for the family, visit www.bowersfuneralhome.net
