Jerrold Taylor

Jerrold Taylor, 78, of Fulton, died on Saturday, March 12, 2022. He was born on April 20, 1943, the son of Ernest and Helen Fulkerson Taylor. During his school years the family resided on the family farm in Galt, Missouri. The family was complete when his brother, Don Taylor was born. Jerrold entered the Forest Hill one-room school in 1949, and he fondly recalled older students walking him to and from school. His father, Ernest passed away of lung cancer when he was six years old. Their brave mother, Helen, elected to stay on the farm and raise the boys. Their life was filled with chores, school, church, and community activities, and during his childhood years, they cash rented the farm. When Jerrold was in the eighth grade, he had an opportunity to work as a hired hand for a local farmer, Quentin Sterling. Mr. Sterling taught him many of the skills needed to put a crop in. These included teaching him to cultivate, plant, and operate machinery. The following year Jerrold wanted to put the crop in by himself at the family farm, so, at the urging of his Uncle Wilber and a generous banker, they purchased a 1950 Ford tractor along with a plow, disc, cultivator, and planter. He was successful in putting in and harvesting the crop, and he continued to put the crop in during his high school years. He attended Galt High School and grade school and participated in Future Farmers of America, sports, and band. He was known to be quite a handful for his teachers. Knowing that he was gifted in drawing, one teacher assigned him the task of drawing a timeline of American history by supplying him with rolls of wallpaper. Those who knew Jerrold knew that he had a love affair with cars. He could whip out a drawing of any car and draw it in intricate detail. As a class project, he drew a complete layout of an automobile plant. His talent caught the eye of the superintendent who recognized his potential, and suggested that he apply for a scholarship to General Motors Institute. The application was sent along with letters of recommendation, and he was accepted at GMI by which he attended from 1961-1965 to pursue an engineering degree. He was always grateful for the training that he received from GM. He was united in marriage to Bessie Ann Trump in 1965 and they were the parents of three girls: Stephanie, Lisa, and Cheri. The girls were born before sonograms, and Jerrold would declare before each birth that each would be a son. Unfortunately, he did not have a son to name Jerrold Scott Taylor. Jerrold moved up the corporate ladder, and by age 29 was named national sales and marketing director for Environeering Cooperation of Skokie, Illinois. There is an expression that "You can take a boy from the farm, but you can't take the farm from the boy." That expression truly applied to Jerrold who dreamed of owning his own farm from the moment he started his career. This dream came true after his father-in-law purchased a farm in Mercer County, Missouri. It seemed that Dad Trump had gotten into a financial pinch and asked Jerrold if he was interested in taking over the payments. This was his big break! He continued to acquire more properties and added a John Deere dealership to the mix in 1975. He operated the Deere dealership for 16 years. During the 80's the farm economy "tanked" with a series of drought, inflation, and high interest rates. Three banks in Mercer County shut down. Jerrold, not being one to give up easily, became a champion for Princeton and Mercer County farmers. He was always "witty," and transparent as well as visionary and entrepreneurial. He thought "outside the box." Through his efforts as president of the Mercer County Industrial Development Board, the community was able to persuade Premium Standard Farms (now Smithfield) to locate their cooperate hog operation in Mercer County. He had the backing of the county commissioners as well as other forward thinkers in the county. After meeting with the state officials and Governor John Ashcroft, the cooperation was granted permits for building. In addition to the hog operation, a "State-of-the-Art" packing plant was built in an adjoining county which brought life and prosperity to the area. A total of $850 million dollars was invested in Mercer County. After shutting down the farming operation and John Deere dealership, he made a run for 3rd district Missouri state representative. After an unsuccessful run, the family moved to southern California for two years to enroll their youngest daughter, Cheri, in a "head injury" program. The family later moved to Neosho, Missouri, where they lived for 11 years. While living in Neosho, he and a business partner, Jack Shultz, purchased Monet-DeSauw, an industrial saw manufacturing business located in Fulton, Missouri. Jerrold became a believer in Jesus Christ when he was a child and was a lifelong Christian. When his daughters were in a car accident in 1986, the youngest daughter, Cheri, was severely injured and required intense medical attention. Jerrold clung to his faith and when he was told by the surgeon and neurosurgeon that she most likely would not pull through, he looked them in the eye and stated that he believed by faith that God would heal her. After 50 days in ICU, Cheri was moved to rehab and has lived a full and fulfilling life. When his father passed, his grandmother shared a special promise with him which became his life verse: Psalm 65:8 "I will be a father to the fatherless." Jerrold established the Rena Scott Fulkerson Scholarship Fund in honor of her life and legacy. His best quote was "Tough times never last, but tough people do" (Robert Shuller). In addition to his business ventures, he enjoyed building models, model railroading, collecting cars, gardening, and travel. In fact, Jerrold spent 20 years on his model railroading "masterpiece." In an ironic twist, he spent the last few weeks of his life building models of farmhouses and farm buildings. He was diagnosed with cancer in June 2021 which he fought vigorously until his death. He was preceded in death by his father, Ernest Taylor; his mother, Helen Fulkerson Taylor; and his brother, Don Taylor. He is survived by his wife, Ann, of 56 years of marriage; his eldest daughter, Stephanie of Jefferson City; his middle daughter Lisa of Washington, DC; and his youngest daughter, Cheri, of Fulton. Two adult grandchildren also survive: Steven Gunn of Fulton and Samantha Gunn of West Point, New York. He will be sorely missed by family and friends. A Celebration of Life is planned for 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 9, 2022, at Maupin Funeral Home in Fulton. Friends will be received from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that all gifts be given to the Rena Scott Fulkerson Scholarship Fund at Evangel University or the Calvary Lutheran High School Scholarship Fund.