John Douglas “Doug” Taylor

An Idaho farm boy, Navy veteran, devoted family man, adventurer, and a man of extraordinary integrity and grit.

John Douglas “Doug” Taylor, affectionately known to his family as “Padre,” passed away in his sleep at his home in Washington, Utah, on October 15, 2026, following a long and courageous struggle with Parkinson's disease (https://www.parkinson.org/understanding-parkinsons/what-is-parkinsons and https://www.michaeljfox.org/). He leaves behind a legacy of love, integrity, kindness, humor, and remarkable perseverance.

Born in Rexburg, Idaho, he spent much of his youth helping on family farms, developing the strong work ethic, resourcefulness, and practical approach to life that would serve him throughout his years. He attended high school in Pocatello, Idaho, where he made a wonderful group of lifelong friends. He treasured those friendships and maintained them throughout his life.

After his family moved to Salt Lake City, Doug attended the University of Utah on a Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) scholarship, majoring in history with a minor in engineering. His service in the United States Navy took him on cruises and assignments that broadened his perspective and helped shape his philosophy of life. One lesson he carried with him was that attitude makes all the difference: a good attitude can make even a difficult experience meaningful, while a bad attitude can ruin even the best circumstances.

He particularly loved his time stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The islands captured his heart, and his love of Hawaii would eventually become a cherished part of his family's traditions.

While stationed at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, Doug met the love of his life, Navy nurse Autumn Rose Swope. He described her as “the most beautiful woman I ever saw,” although he also remembered that “she sure did drink a lot of coffee.” They married on August 14, 1969, in Pensacola, beginning a marriage that would last more than 57 years.

Their early years together were an adventure. After Doug left the Navy, he worked briefly delivering mail in Tooele, Utah, before returning to Pensacola, where he worked in a power plant laboratory. When Autumn completed her Navy service, they drove west to Salt Lake City in separate vehicles —Autumn in her Karmann Ghia and Doug in his VW Bug—braving a Midwestern ice storm along the way.

Over the years, Doug and Autumn built a family and a life together, raising four children and living in several places throughout the West. They spent time in Hillsboro, Oregon, where Doug worked for Atlantic Richfield, before moving to Salina, Utah, in 1980 when he accepted a position with Southern Utah Fuel Company (SUFCO). Doug later built a beautiful family home near the Red Mound in Redmond, Utah, where the family lived until moving to Sandy in 1985.

Doug was a gifted salesman who could strike up a conversation with just about anyone. He genuinely enjoyed people and had a remarkable ability to build relationships. More importantly, he believed that honesty and integrity were never negotiable. His career included many changes, sometimes because he refused to compromise his principles, but he always worked hard, adapted, and found a way to provide for his family.

He eventually retired after many years with Graymont Western US Inc., where he sold lime, limestone and Calcium based products to gold mines in northern Nevada and California. His work gave him opportunities to explore places he came to love, especially Elko County. He delighted in hiking Lamoille Canyon in the Ruby Mountains and enjoying a good meal at the Star Hotel.

Doug loved the outdoors with an enthusiasm that was contagious. He was happiest exploring a trail, riding a bicycle (or catrike), camping beneath the stars, or simply enjoying the sunshine. Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park held an especially treasured place in his heart. He loved hiking, biking, and camping in the Tetons and never tired of their extraordinary beauty.

He was equally captivated by the red rock country of southern Utah. He explored all five of Utah's Mighty Five national parks, with a particular fondness for Zion, Capitol Reef, and the trails of Washington County and Moab. Snow Canyon State Park was another favorite. In his younger years, he enjoyed skiing, and as Parkinson's disease gradually limited his mobility, he adapted by riding an electric Catrike. He was determined to experience the world he loved for as long as possible.

Doug loved sunshine, but he also appreciated a good thunderstorm, especially the drama of lightning and thunder rolling across the landscape.

Some of his family's happiest memories came from the many adventures he made possible. When his kids were young, Doug built a wooden bed for the back of the family van, while Autumn sewed a mattress and curtains, creating the beloved “bus bed” that made family road trips an adventure in themselves. Summers often included trips to McCall, Idaho, Zion National Park, Utah, Yellowstone Wyoming, British Columbia, Canada, Disneyland, the Pacific Coast, and Moab, Utah.

Doug believed that experiences and time together were far more valuable than material possessions. Years ago, he encouraged the family to stop exchanging traditional birthday and Christmas gifts and instead save that money for memorable vacations. It was a wonderful reflection of his values: spend wisely, make memories, and treasure the people you love.

At home, Doug was known for his love of food, especially breakfast. He made legendary homemade sourdough pancakes and waffles, and his family will forever remember those breakfasts. He also enjoyed baking bread, preparing good meals, and sharing food with the people he loved.

He had a wonderful, sometimes wicked, sense of humor. Doug loved teasing people, could deliver a wonderfully sarcastic remark, and was rarely at a loss for an opinion. He especially enjoyed visiting and “schmoozing” with his siblings, who shared his enthusiasm for lively conversation and strong opinions. Their discussions were seldom dull, and everyone was generally quite willing to share exactly what they thought.

In 2017, Doug and his son opened Moss & Timber in St. George, Utah. And in March 2020, they purchased a home in Coral Canyon in Washington, Utah, just as the COVID-19 pandemic began. Doug enjoyed spending summers at his home in Sandy and winters in southern Utah, where the sunshine and red rock landscape brought him so much happiness.

In the fall of 2008, Doug discovered a growth in his mouth that led to a diagnosis of metastatic cancer involving his parotid gland. Following his initial surgery, he underwent a radical neck dissection in early 2009 and subsequent radiation treatment. Although his cancer never returned, the treatments left him with devastating, lifelong complications, including severe chronic pain and difficulty swallowing. He endured years of rehabilitation and eventually developed Parkinson's disease, which further compromised his mobility, independence, and quality of life.

Doug came to deeply regret his decision to undergo additional surgery and radiation. He believed that he had not fully understood the potential long-term consequences of those treatments and wished he had sought more information and considered his options more carefully. His experience left him with a message he hoped others would take to heart: Be an active participant in your own medical care. Ask questions, research your options, seek independent second opinions, and make sure you understand the potential benefits and risks before agreeing to major medical procedures. Physicians can provide invaluable expertise, but patients must also feel empowered to advocate for themselves and make informed decisions about their own bodies and lives.

Despite the suffering he endured, Doug once reflected that he was grateful to have survived cancer (and its treatment) because it meant more years with his beloved family. That love was at the center of his life. Even when every day brought pain, he continued to adapt, finding ways to enjoy the outdoors, spend time with his family, and make the most of the time he had.

As his illness progressed, Doug moved permanently to his southern Utah home where he could be close to family and avoid the increasingly difficult stairs at his Sandy home. Even as Parkinson's disease took an ever-greater toll on his body, his devotion to his family remained.

Doug was well acquainted with adversity. He faced professional setbacks, chronic pain, depression, and serious illness. But he worked hard to meet those challenges, often with remarkable determination. His life was a testament not to the absence of hardship, but to the courage required to keep going.

Doug was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and loved his Savior, Jesus Christ. His faith helped shape his commitment to honesty, kindness, service, and love for others. He sought to live by the principles he believed in, treating people with compassion and integrity, even when doing so came at a personal cost.

Above all else, Doug loved his family. He worked tirelessly to provide for them, taught them to be honest and responsible, shared his love of nature and adventure, and gave them a lifetime of memories. He showed them, through his actions, what it meant to be loyal, kind, resourceful, and principled.

Doug is survived by his beloved wife of 57 years, Autumn; his son and three daughters; his sister and three brothers; and many cherished friends. He leaves behind a family who loved him deeply and who will continue to carry his lessons, humor, and spirit of adventure into the future.

Although Doug endured tremendous suffering, his life was so much bigger than his suffering. His family will remember him on mountain trails and red rock paths, in the sunshine of Hawaii, in the rumble of a summer thunderstorm, and around the breakfast table over a stack of his famous sourdough pancakes. They will remember his laughter, his sarcasm, his stubborn determination, and the countless ways he showed his love.

Most of all, they will remember a man of extraordinary integrity and grit who loved his Savior, cherished his family, believed that attitude mattered, and sought to treat others with kindness and respect.

We love you, Padre. We are so proud to call you our dad. Thank you for the adventures, the lessons, the laughter, and the love.

Instead of flowers or plants, please donate to Doug’s favorite charity: The Utah Food Bank (https://www.utahfoodbank.org/)

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Celebration of Life

All that wish to celebrate Doug’s life are warmly invited to gather, share memories, and honor the love, laughter, and adventures he brought into the world.

Sunday, December 20, 2026

11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Moss & Timber

1122 Sunset Boulevard

St. George, Utah

Arrangements were under the direction of Spilsbury Mortuary, 110 South Bluff Street, St. George, Utah. 435-673-2454.

Family and friends are invited to share their condolences and sign Doug's online guestbook at www.SpilsburyMortuary.com