Alvah Braxton Taylor

Alvah Braxton Taylor, 93, of Sea Level, passed on to meet our Lord on January 4, 2019, at his son Mitchell Taylor’s home in Sea Level surrounded by his loving family.

His funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, January 8, 2019, at Sea Level United Methodist Church, officiated by Rev. Nelson Koonce and Rev. Jim Tosto. Interment will follow at Nelson Bay Cemetery.

Braxton was born on January 23, 1925 to Alvah and Angeline Salter Taylor in Sea Level.  He was the middle child of five siblings. He enlisted in the US Navy on Jan 12, 1943 and served during WWII.  He stayed in 3 years 2 months and 14 days as an Aviation Machinist Mate.  He was sent to Bainbridge, MD for boot camp and was then transferred to Jacksonville, FL, Patuxent River, MD, Alameda, CA and Moffit Field, CA where he received an honorable discharge on Monday, March 25, 1946.  Braxton then helped out in his Granddaddy Valentine “Tine” Taylor’s store and his mullet and oyster packing business named V. Taylor Packing Co. both located at the end of Nelson Neck Road in Sea Level.

After a few years, he then went to work at Cherry Point and started in the apprentice school and stayed 9 months. He started working on Oct 7, 1954 with Lloyd A. Fry Roofing Company in Morehead City as a truck driver and retired after 22 ½ years. In 1977, he started working with Joe Willis in Atlantic as a commercial fisherman for 6 years.  Braxton said there was never a finer man than Joe.  He said you always came out ahead if you made a deal with Joe.  He applied for a job at Cherry Point as an airplane mechanic, was hired career and stayed there for 3 years and 8 months and retired permanently at the age of 62.

Braxton married Kathryn Willis from North River on October 9, 1955 and had six children.  He loved sitting outside watching birds and baseball.  He played baseball as catcher for the Sea Level, Davis and Atlantic teams in the 50’s.  He often spoke about those years, his years at Cherry Point and his years of friendship with his best friend Joe Willis.

He will be missed by his wife of 63 years Kathryn Willis Taylor; son, Michael Taylor of the home, grandson, Michael Taylor, Jr. and companion Samantha of Harkers Island, great grandchildren, Michael Taylor and Karlee Taylor; granddaughters, Lesley Taylor of Wake Forest, Juliet Thomas of Harkers Island, great granddaughter, Josalyn Thomas; son, Mitchell Taylor and his wife, Linda of Sea Level; daughter, Angela Best of Straits, granddaughter, Janice Creel and husband John of Gloucester, great grandson, Elijah Creel; daughter, Kay Tosto and husband Jim of Williston, granddaughter, Nikki Johnson and husband Chris of New Bern, great granddaughters, Brittany Taylor and Allison Taylor, granddaughter, Sabra Willis and husband Lee of Hampstead, NC, great grandchildren, Callie Willis and Spencer Willis; daughter Tracy Wade and husband Arnold of Smyrna, granddaughter Jessica Gaskill and husband Richard of Smyrna, great grandchildren, Emily Gaskill and Carter Gaskill, grandson, Braxton Wade of West Monroe, LA; daughter, Lura Taylor of Sea Level; sister in law, Barbara Hill Taylor of Morehead City; niece Julia Nelson and husband Todd of Morehead City; nephews, Joe McGirk of Sea Level, Harry Simmons, Jr. of Henderson, NC, Alvah Taylor “Bud” Simmons and wife Nina of Florence, SC, Rodney Blake Taylor of Palisades, CA, and Bradford Taylor of Burton, SC; special cousins Lena Respess and Tilmon Allen Taylor of Sea Level, Alfred Noyes of Beaufort and Charles Elks of Virginia Beach, VA; special friends Danny Taylor of Atlantic, Tom Mann of Beaufort, Billy Paul of Bayboro and Deborah Krusz of Otway; and cousins and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents Alvah and Angeline Salter Taylor; sisters Mildred Jewel Taylor Simmons of Henderson, NC and Clara Belle Taylor McGirk of Sea Level; brothers Eldred Gordon Taylor of Burton, SC and Rodney Blake Taylor of Morehead City; and best friend Joe Willis of Atlantic.

Family will receive friends from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, January 7, 2019, at Sea Level United Methodist Church.

The family would like to thank Dr. CV Purushothaman, MD, Dr. Arthur Klose, MD, Jeremiah Belokur, PT, Carteret Home Health and Hospice and Teresa Salter who was Braxton’s caregiver.  The care and compassion shown to him is immeasurable and we will be forever grateful.  Thank you.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to the Sea Level United Methodist Church PO Box 170 Sea Level, NC 28577.

Online condolences may be made at www.mundenfuneralhome.net

Arrangements by Munden Funeral Home and Crematory in Morehead City, NC.