Robert Clinton Taylor

Robert “Bob” “Rob” Taylor (64) of Inverness, Florida, a man of boundless energy and intelligence, passed away February 14, 2026, after a long and courageous battle with liver cancer.

Bob was born in Trenton, New Jersey, and later grew up in Morrisville, Pennsylvania where he was a graduate of Morrisville High School’s class of 1979. After high school, he proudly served his country for several years as a Senior Airman of the United States Air Force and was stationed in Germany and California. In 1997, Bob moved to Florida and lived in several towns over the years including Webster, Lake Panasoffkee (where he was a life member of the Lake Panasoffkee VFW Post 10084), and Inverness for the past ten years. In 2004, he graduated from the College of Central Florida with a degree in Information Technology.

Bob had many professions over his adult life, including furniture store owner, plumber, and boiler operator at a Pennsylvania state prison and at Bucknell University. However, most of his career was spent working as a Road and Bridge Inspector, first for the state of Florida and then for several engineering and construction companies, most recently Jacobs Engineering. In 2017, he took the opportunity between jobs to attend Marine Mechanics Institute in Orlando, FL. There he learned to work on small engines, as his hope for retirement was to make extra money repairing boat motors, lawn mowers, generators, etc.

A dedicated family man, Bob was always ready for a new adventure. He was full of life, loved his family deeply, and appreciated every moment spent with them. He especially enjoyed visiting his daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren in Wisconsin. Bob was an avid motorcycle rider who lived to ride and rode to live. He also enjoyed playing cards and board games with his family, taking day or weekend trips with his wife and dogs, grilling awesome steaks, chops and burgers, attending festivals and watching live bands with friends, working on household projects or fixing one of the cars, listening to rock and country music, spending time near the water, and hosting pool/lanai/house parties for family and friends.

While Bob was always interested in discussions about history and politics, those closest to him will also miss his carefree, live in the moment personality and will cherish memories of his goofy side, especially him singing in the car or dancing on the lanai. But mostly, he will be remembered for his glass half-full, positive attitude, as someone who always had a kind word or friendly smile, even when times became especially tough more recently. Bob’s handling of the ultimate terrible news with the utmost grace and acceptance will always be admired and a basis for inspiration.

In his final days, Bob spoke with peace and a spark in his eye about what he was looking forward to most “seeing his cousin Scott again, cold beer in hand, sun shining down, out on the boat with a fishing pole, reliving the good old days.” The thought of that reunion brought him comfort and perfectly reflected his love of family and simple joys.

Bob is survived by his wife of seven years, Julie Chappel; daughter, Ashley (Dave) Firth; grandchildren, Veronica and Jacob Firth; sisters, Donna (Thomas) Wierzbicki, Susan (Mike) Beiner, and Jackie Wynkoop; brother, Jerry (Linda) Lehman; his Aunt Lois Winters; and several cousins, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Jack and Eva Taylor, along with his beloved dog, Jax.

Services with military honors will be held at Florida National Cemetery, Bushnell, Florida at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made in Bob’s memory to Wreaths Across America, earmarked for Florida National Cemetery (www.wreaths across America.org), the American Cancer Society (https://www.cancer.org/), an animal rescue organization, or the charity of your choice.