Obituary of Ricky Joe Taylor

Ricky (Rick) Joe Taylor was born to Cecil Joe and Virginia Taylor on Dec 2nd, 1963 in Gravette AR. He was a loving brother to his four siblings: Cathy, Regena, Elizabeth and Clifford. He is survived by his wife Cindy Taylor who was the love of his life. Rick has two daughters; Tara Wheeker and Shawna Wood, who were his whole world. He loved those girls more than anything and was so proud of their families. He filled many roles in his life but the one that brought him the most joy was being a Papa to his grandkids; Natalie Wood, Madison Wood and Noah Wheeker. Rick grew up in Arkansas and played line backer in high school for the Gentry Pioneers. The Pioneers won conference championships 3 years in a row during his tenure and playing football and baseball with his buddies were some of his fondest memories. Rick was always a leader on his team and always encouraged all his teammates to do their best (a trait that would continue throughout his life). His high school football career fostered in him a competitive spirit that he carried with him the rest of his life. Whether it was comparing suntan`s with Natalie, rooting for the AR Razorbacks, competing in Bible trivia, or playing games with the grandkids, he was always turning things into competitions. Never one to be one upped in high school pranks, he may or may not have been the one who stole a port potty and left it in the middle of main street for the Little Debbie trucks encounter when they were headed back to the plant. Rick was also famous in the family for his homemade ice cream which was Natalie`s personal favorite at family gatherings. Rick graduated High school in 1982 and worked hard all his life. He had strong work ethic and was never one to shy away from a good day`s work. He went to Amazing Facts College of Evangelism in 2001 and it was there that he gained the knowledge to match his passion for evangelism. This passion would follow him the rest of his life and take him around the world. He even preached an evangelistic seminar in Ghana Africa. He was always doing whatever he could to win souls for the Kingdom. He loved the Lord with all his mind, heart, and soul. He could quote memory verses for days on end and his bible was completely marked up with notes and highlights. He loved his LORD his Lord and Savior. Rick drove a truck for Mckee foods, had well over one million miles of accident free driving and had many great friends at McKee. Rick was preceded in death by his mother and father, Virginia, and Cecil Joe Taylor.