- Date Of Birth: June 20, 1944
- Date Of Death: December 23, 2014
- State: Maryland
William Roscoe Taylor III – A Life In Retrospect
William (“Bill” and “Butch”) Roscoe Taylor III, 70, of Charlottesville, VA passed away at home surrounded by his family on December 23, 2014 in Rockville, MD. Bill was born on June 20, 1944 in Charlottesville, VA, to William Roscoe Taylor Jr. and HattieBland Beatrice Richardson Taylor. Bill grew up in the warm cocoon-like existence maintained by his dear grandmother, Mary Elizabeth “Bessie” Hearn Taylor, a long-time school teacher in Charlottesville public schools, who was affectionately known as “MaMa” by her close family. Bill was the oldest of four children: Marilyn “Sissy” Edwards, Connelly Hearn Taylor, and Venita “Shelley” Taylor Lang. Bill and his siblings, spent several years of their childhood in Germany, where his father, an officer in the U.S. Army, was stationed during the aftermath of World War II.
After returning to their home in Charlottesville, VA, Bill quickly distinguished himself as an exceptional student, and served as President of the National Honor Society at Jackson P. Burley High School. Bill graduated from high school in 1962, after he and his family were devastated by the untimely death of his mother. Bill received a scholarship to attend the prestigious Morehouse College, the alma mater of his intellectual hero, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Bill majored in Political Science while attending Morehouse, an area that has been a lifelong passion for him. Bill’s experiences growing up in the segregated south left an indelible imprint on him, and committed him to a life of social activism to help realize the dream of living in a multiracial, multiethnic society. While a student at Morehouse, Bill was accepted into a highly selective summer internship program for future minority business leaders by Time, Inc., in New York. Bill was invigorated by the energy of New York and felt at home in the metropolis, since his family had relocated to the Bronx, N.Y. after his father opened a dry cleaning business.
At Morehouse, Bill met and fell in love with a very beautiful and gifted student at Spelman College, named Zara “Zee” Gale Buggs. Zara was attracted to Bill’s intellect, charisma, strength and unrelenting passion for life. From that point on, “Butch” and “Zee” became lifelong partners, and after matriculating from their respective colleges, they married in Falls Church, Va. Bill and his new bride moved to Gaithersburg, MD, to be closer to Zara’s family in Maryland. Zara’s mother and father relocated to Maryland from Los Angeles, California, after her father accepted an appointment in the Johnson administration. Bill was instantly embraced by Zara’s loving parents, John Allen Buggs and Mary Gale “Polly” Buggs, and sister, Diane, who married his college roommate and close friend, Robbie Dix.
Bill held numerous positions in healthcare supplies and marketing while in Maryland, where he distinguished himself as a strong producer in sales. Bill eventually accepted a position with Gillette, Inc. in New York, and he and Zara relocated to Queens. However, Bill decided to follow his lifelong dream to live in California (where Zara spent the better part of her upbringing), and accepted a sales position with a national healthcare supplies company, based in Southern California. Bill fell ‘head over heels’ for California, attracted to the weather, casual lifestyle, vibrant culture and strong sense of community in Los Angeles. Bill and Zara initially rented an apartment in West Los Angeles, before purchasing their first home in the Wilshire district, on 21st street. The purchase of their first home was a source of great pride for Bill, and he would refer to it for many years thereafter as the best investment he had ever made. After several years of high productivity with his company, Bill was eventually promoted to the position of Western Regional Sales Manager.
In March 1975, Bill and Zara gave birth to their son, William “Butchie” Roscoe Taylor IV, who would be their only child. Bill and Zara showered their new son with all the love, affection and care that only profoundly devoted parents can provide. Bill was a lifelong tennis enthusiast and before his young son could walk, Bill nicknamed his young son, “Poncho” after the tennis great, Poncho Gonzales. Bill would spend many evenings after work at a public tennis court not far from their home, where he worked at sharpening his skills in his beloved sport. Bill began to take his young son with him to matches around Los Angeles, in an effort to induce Butchie to develop a passion for the game. However, after discovering that his son had a natural interest and passion for baseball, Bill quickly devoted himself to nurture and mold Butchie’s pure love for the game. Bill was the head coach of his son’s little league team, and some of their fondest memories were shared during those years.
Bill and Zara eventually purchased a home in the Windsor Hills section of Southwest Los Angeles in 1982, where the family would reside for the next thirty years. Bill and Zara became proud of their decision to move to their new home, after they found a strong sense of community in this predominantly African-American middle class enclave and witnessed their son’s confidence level begin to blossom after forging strong bonds with a number of the other children in the neighborhood. Bill and Zara were widely known among Butchie’s friends to cultivate an open-door policy in their home, and their driveway became a popular venue for neighborhood pick-up basketball games.
In November 2005, Bill’s beloved wife, Zara, succumbed to her long battle with the disease Scleroderma, at the age of 59. Despite this devastating loss to their family, Bill also witnessed the birth of his oldest granddaughter in August 2006, and his youngest granddaughter, in May 2009. After his son accepted a position in the federal government, Bill eventually relocated to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughters in Rockville, MD, in February 2012. Bill enjoyed nearly three beautiful years with his family in Rockville, MD before succumbing to his long-time battle with diabetes and heart disease.
Bill is survived by his son, William R. Taylor IV, daughter-in-law, Cherissa Camille Taylor, granddaughters Zara Amala Taylor and Keilani Diane Taylor, sister Marilyn Taylor Edwards of New Orleans, LA, sister-in-law Diane Dorinda Dix and brother-in-law, Robbie Dix III of Laurel, MD, brother-in-law Leroy Lang of Mobile, AL, aunts Laura Richardson and Vashti Richardson of Petersburg, VA, cousin David Stroud Sr. of Minneapolis, MN, nephews Robbie John Dix, Tanner Lang and David Stroud Jr., nieces Chenier Taylor and Erin Lang, as well as numerous members of his extended family and friends, who have been offering their sympathies from all over the country.
