Thomas Joseph Taylor

Thomas J. Taylor, 71 of Devils Lake formerly of Springfield,Illinois passed away on Monday, May 18, 2020 at his home in the loving care of family and Altru Hospice.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, May 21, 2020 at the Gilbertson Funeral Home, Devils Lake from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. 

Mass of Christian Burial for Thomas will be held on Friday, May 22, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Devils Lake with Reverend Steven Wirth celebrating the Mass.  Military Honors will be accorded by the Neathery-Simensen Post #756, Devils Lake Veterans of Foreign Wars and the North Dakota Military Funeral Honors Team.

Thomas Joseph Taylor was born on November 20, 1948 in Springfield, Illinois, the son of Herbert Edward and Margaret Ann (Conlon) Taylor. 

Thomas enlisted in the United States Navy on June 21, 1966 and honorably served his country during the Vietnam War.  He was honorably discharged from active service on August 29, 1969 and continued with the Reserves until June 20, 1972.  He was discharged with the rank of ATN2 (Aviation Electronics Technician).

He was united in marriage to Bonnie Crouch on January 19, 1974 in Springfield.  Due to Thomas’s career as Operations Director with Simon Property Group and later as Facility Manager at Purdue University, they have lived in Illinois, Texas, New York, Arkansas, and Indiana. The last seven years of his career was as Site Manager for GSCI (Girl Scouts of Central Illinois) in Springfield before retiring and moving to Devils Lake in May 2015. For 3 years he was a part time delivery driver for Advance Auto Parts. In his retirement he enjoyed spending time with his family and his grandchildren were his pride and joy. 

Thomas is survived by his wife Bonnie, his children and grandchildren, Nicole (Cliff) Halvorson, Abby and Bryn of Devils Lake and Zachariah (Amanda) Taylor, Aubree and Conner of Attica, Indiana.  He is also survived by four sisters and other beloved relatives.