Mr. Robert Osborne Taylor

Robert “Pop” Taylor, 97, passed away Saturday, May 26, 2018 at Wisteria Gardens in Pearl. Visitation will be Friday, June 1st from 10:00 a.m. until the 12:00 p.m. Funeral Service at Chancellor Funeral Home in Florence. Burial will follow at Floral Hills Memory Gardens. Pop was a member of Merrill’s Marauders. He served with the first America Troops to fight the Japanese on land in Asia during World War II. This was the CBI Campaign. Serving as a scout with the Green Team, they were loaded with whatever they could carry on their backs along with pack mules. They hiked through Ledo Road, the Himalayan mountains and jungles of Burma traveling almost 1,000 miles, the soldiers marched farther on foot than any other fighting unit. One of the highlights of the volunteer unit was capturing the airstrip at Myitkyina, Burma, and opening up an allied supply line into Asia. Pop was the last Marauder living in Mississippi. There are 14 living in other states. The 75th Ranger Regiment honors their legacy with the Marauders’ patch as their crest. Mr. Taylor was preceded in death by his wife of 68 years, Lorraine Taylor and daughter-in-law, Mary Taylor. He is survived by his son, Tom (Pat) Taylor of Florence; grandsons, Chip (Kelly) Taylor and Trey (Catie) Gunn; great grandchildren, Mary Elise and Jake Taylor and Taylor Grace and Olivia Ann Gunn; and numerous nieces and nephews. The family would like to thank the staffs of Villa South Assisted Living and Wisteria Gardens for their excellent care of Pop. In lieu of flowers, the family request memorial be made to the First Baptist Church of Florence Shoebox Ministry.