Person:Milton Taylor (5)

From "Niles Daily Star", Niles, Michigan, Friday, October 22, 2004: Funeral services for Milton L. "Mike" Taylor, 83, of Sioux Trail, Niles, are Monday at 10:30 a.m. at Wesley United Methodist Church, Niles, by the Rev. Emmett H. Kadwell Jr., pastor. Burial will be in North Shore Memory Gardens in Hagar Shores. Taylor died Thursday at 12:50 p.m. at Memorial Hospital in South Bend, Ind., following a brief illness. Friends may call Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Halbritter Funeral Home, Niles, and beginning Monday at 9:30 a.m. at the church. A commital service will be held Monday at 2 p.m. graveside by the Rev. Kadwell. Memorial contributions may be made to Wesley United Methodist Church, Niles, or Habitat for Humanity.

From "The Herald Palladium", Benton Harbor, Michigan, Saturday, October 23, 2004: Milton L. (Mike) Taylor NILES -- Milton L. (Mike) Taylor was called home on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2004. He was born in Sodus on June 5, 1921, to Henry and Lenore Taylor. His childhood was one of learning, fun and work on his family's farm. He earned distinction as an Eagle Scout and graduated from Benton Harbor High School in 1938.

Michigan State College, now MSU, was his next adventure. He entered college, joined the Army ROTC and earned a degree in Animal Husbandry. While at Michigan State College he met, courted and fell in love with Elinor Sims. He graduated from college in 1942, with honors, and Milton earned his commission as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He was called to active duty upon graduation and served in San Diego, Georgia and China, where he earned the rank of Captain and commanded an anti-aircraft battery. Before shipping out, he and Elinor were married in a romantic ceremony in San Diego, Calif., on Dec. 3, 1942. He returned to Sodus with Elinor following World War II and eventually acquired the family farm and other tracts. He was active in the Farm Bureau, built a beautiful farm and was recognized for his agricultural excellence as the "Outstanding Young Farmer" by the Jaycees in 1955. While farming, he also indulged his hobby as an inventor. This hobby grew to a talent that would later lead to business success in the sprayer industry developing, manufacturing and distributing innovative low-volume sprayers with AgTech.

He served the community in many ways through scouting and as a member of the Eau Claire School Board in the late 1960s. He was active in the Niles Habitat for Humanity organization for many years. He could always be counted on to pitch in with a smile and frequently surprised friends each fall with deliveries of hand-picked apples and tomatoes. He was an active member of the Wesley United Methodist Church in Niles.

He, Elinor and later their cat, Inky, began spending summers at the beloved Island Lake near Munising, Mich., after their retirement. Their humble cottage is a loving respite for family and friends. They were able to watch their son, daughters, daughter and sons-in-law, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of their extended family mature and grow to love the natural environment of the Upper Peninsula as much as they did. Milton and Elinor made many special UP friends and both started new volunteer careers with the U.S. Forest Service. They were honored as National Volunteers of the Year by the U.S. Forest Service in 2002 for their prowess at collecting and processing valuable rare native seeds that the Forest Service still uses to restore areas disturbed by construction, lumbering or natural causes. Milton's latest invention was a portable, electric-powered threshing machine used to separate the seeds from the stems of coarse native grasses that replaced tedious hand threshing.

Milton is remembered as a loving husband, father and friend. He is survived by his wife, Elinor, and sister, Josephine; sons, Michael (Deborah) Taylor and David (Val) Sims; daughters, Sharai (Eric) DeLong and Laura (John) Koscielniak; granddaughters -- Jennifer (Paul) Osborn, Mary, Beth and Sarah Koscielniak; great-grandchildren, Alex and Carter Osborn; nieces and nephews and special friends, Lindsay DeLong, Abbey DeLong and Jessica and Timothy Belen. He was preceded in death by his parents and his older brother, John.

The funeral service will be held at Wesley United Methodist Church in Niles at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 25, with the Rev. Emmett H. Kadwell Jr. officiating. Committal Service will be at the graveside in North Shore Memorial Gardens at 2 p.m. Friends may call Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Halbritter Funeral Home, Niles, and 9:30 a.m. Monday at the church. Memorials may be made to either Wesley United Methodist Church or Habitat for Humanity.