Richard Taylor
courtesy photo
Richard Taylor
DAYTON — Richard C. Taylor died on Aug. 7 after a courageous battle with cancer, his wife Janie by his side. Richard was born in Harlowton, Montana, on Oct. 8, 1944, the second son of Charles and Nygren Taylor.
Richard loved the Montana outdoors and grew up hunting and fishing in Judith Basin County. He raised Arabian horses on his Colorado ranch while operating irrigation parts company, Spring Creek Manufacturing.
As adolescents, Richard, his brother Michael and his cousin Larry Ashcraft, were known for their shenanigans, which more often than not backfired, including the accidental shooting of his grandfather’s toe and a runaway Nash Rambler.
Richard graduated from Great Falls High School and after stints in both college and the U.S. Army, Richard followed in the family business by working in hair salons in Ohio, Minnesota and Colorado. While in Ohio, Richard worked on his grandmother’s horse ranch, developing an appreciation for Appaloosa and Arabian horses.
Trained by the best cutting-edge stylists in the country, Richard and his brother Michael opened up the first high-end salons in Colorado. They included: Taylors International, A Head of our Time in Cherry Creek and Haringtons in Boulder.
He was a man of many talents: horse whisperer, wrangler, artist, businessman and entrepreneur.
Richard is survived by his devoted wife, Janie Tucker Taylor; his son, D. J. Taylor; his brother, Michael Taylor (Janna); his nephews Zac (Candice) and Chris (Lacey) and numerous cousins throughout Montana, Washington and California.
A private celebration of Richard’s life will be held. Interment will be held for the family at Lake View Cemetery in Polson.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Richard’s memory may be made to the following organizations:
Arabian Horse Registry and Denver Dumber Friends League.
