Spencer Zachary Taylor

Making chocolate chip or sugar cookies on Sunday afternoon.  Designing custom mutant cookies at Grandma Bowen’s each Christmas.
Splitting wood into precise little shards of kindling.  Building fires in the backyard oven made from a stack of bricks and mud.  Stoking it with a raft pump until flames shot out the top.
Quoting entire frames of Calvin and Hobbes and The Far Side, using different voices for individual characters.  Movie quotes.  Memes.  Brandon Sanderson.
Constructing contraptions: Bubble blower machine, strings to turn lights off and on from across the room, a lego guy running for his life from a bionicle, the Technics AT-AT.
Tying shoes precisely and efficiently.
Wanting frequent haircuts, to keep the little cowlick in front under control.
Moving little items at Grandma and Grandpa Taylor’s house during almost every visit. Replacing them next time.
Shying away from any camera the moment it appeared.
Microwaving popcorn.
Taking time off work at the tire shop this summer for a camping trip with Cummins.
Jumping into a very crisp mountain lake to escape the voracious mosquitos.
Excitedly welcoming Madeleine as a 5th birthday present.  Happily sharing that day every year.
Playing the guitar and singing quietly in the living room.  Rarely disclosing the name of the song, even when asked.
Immediately climbing to the top of the bluff once camp was set up at Goblin Valley.
Noticing details and patterns in the lives of people, animals, and plants.
Making pancakes, preferably with only white flour, or better yet, Krusteaz.  Often leaving little drips or trails of syrup on the kitchen table afterward.
Appreciating bold Aussie or English black licorice flavor; picking out the black Jelly Bellies.
Bounding up and down the stairs two or three at a time; often jumping down the entire flight.
Wanting the Snowbird logo removed from the black baseball cap so it would be generic.
Enrolling in AP and concurrent classes only with significant prodding.
Maintaining neat and tidy AP psychology notes.  Scoring a 5 on that test in the pandemic spring of 2020.
Announcing one Saturday the decision to buy a truck and giving 5 options for review.
Hiking on Antelope Island and watching as the low clouds moved across the landscape.
Fiddling with the nitro RC truck.  Never wanting to let other people drive it.  Politely allowing others to drive it, but carefully turning down the throttle first. Meticulously cleaning it after running it in grass, sand, or anything else that might kick up in the mechanism.
Whipping up frothy hot chocolate.
Riding a unicycle back and forth in the hallways to get the hang of it, then cruising around the neighborhood, downtown SLC, and the USU campus.
Successfully lighting a fire with Cole after a very rainy day of backpacking.
Carefully arranging the collection of nerf guns on a peg board, and drawing a schematic of the arrangement so they could be put back after use.
Booking it out to the Uintas for hikes after dropping the other kids off at school.
Playing on the green screen at the Leonardo to create a floating head on a mountain background.
Watching late night movies with James, but always falling asleep and missing the end.
Building and sleeping in a snow cave in the backyard together, even though there was school the next day.
Taking videos of Christmas morning from the viewpoint of an RC car, and photos from odd angles on a selfie stick.
Hiking in Glacier, being the first to see the brown bear just 20 feet away (happily munching), and trying to get everyone’s attention with a teeth-clenched “Guys..Guys….”
Constructing a house of cards during a particularly long Five Crowns round.
Wanting just to see the ocean for the 6th grade trip with Zac.  Taking videos of waves and patiently waiting for tiny crabs to show themselves.
Flaming Lips concert with Cole summer 2021: Knowing every word
Smiling at the Taylor Family Dinner cousin table, with conversations floating around on all sides.  Breathing out hilarious side comments.
Taking a break from driving the cars at Boondocks only when the gas fumes resulted in a headache.
Squeezing into tiny spaces, skinny slot canyons, crevices in rocks.
Looking into the living room window at eye level, from the maple tree out front at age 5.  Helping Liz build the platform in the maple together to appease parental safety concerns.  Taking snacks and books up, but often still climbing higher.  Following the rule (mostly) that if you looked down and saw your ankle is bigger than the branch you’re about to step on, it’s time to stop.
Going Home unexpectedly 22 September 2021
Sending angels, both mortal and immortal, to comfort and teach those still here
Honoring his memory, in lieu of flowers, please donate to the Huntsman Mental Health Institute  https://ugive.app.utah.edu/designation/3465
Services will be held at the church located at 4322 South 5400 West in West Valley City, Utah.
Visitation: 6-8 pm Friday 15 October 2021
Funeral: 11 am Saturday 16 October 2021
Interment at Valley View Memorial Cemetery
Service Information
Viewing October 15, 2021 at 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
4322 South 5400 West West Valley City, Utah





Funeral Service
October 16, 2021 at 11:00 AM
4322 South 5400 West West Valley City, Utah