May 1, 1966 - March 8, 2025
Clay Sydney Taylor, age 58 of Winchester, passed away on Saturday, March 8, 2025, at his residence. Clay was born on May 1, 1966, in Raleigh, North Carolina to Royce Donald and Susan Ercell (Turner) Taylor.
He met his wife, Wendy, when they worked together in Knoxville. They started dating in 1988 and moved to Colorado where they were married in 1991. Their only child, Bryce, was born in Boulder in 1992. To arrange full time care for Bryce and avoid needing outside childcare, Clay found a job baking at night so he could be home during the day while Wendy worked.
In 1995, Clay, Wendy, and Bryce moved back to Tennessee and Clay went back to college, earning his bachelor's degree in accounting from MTSU. A man of great energy and many interests, Clay worked not only as a baker, but also as a carpenter, remodeler, and finally as the bookkeeper and accountant for his wife's veterinary practice.
Clay was a tireless athlete. He was a competitive swimmer in high school and used his bicycle as his primary transportation while growing up on the outskirts of Murfreesboro. He combined his skills in the water and on a bike with running, taking up triathlon and, later, competitive cycling. His love for swimming and biking provided the bedrock for his good health and vigor his entire adult life. He was generous and kind with a ready smile and delightful laugh, always ready to help anyone he could, be it family, friend, or stranger.
Clay is preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, James Wilkie and Mary Elizabeth (Steagall) Taylor; and maternal grandparents, Willis S. and Dorothy Leigh (Hawkins) Taylor. In addition to his parents, Clay is survived by his wife of thirty four years, Wendy Rosenbek; child, Bryce (Kristine) Rosenbek Taylor; siblings, Shannon (Terry) Taylor Davenport, and Cameron Taylor (Mark Woodcock); nieces, Natalie (Jordan) Davenport Whittaker, Allyson (William) Davenport Perrigan and Sophia Woodcock; nephews, Lance Davenport and Oliver Woodcock; uncles, Rev. Garie Taylor and Tony Turner; father-in-law, John Clyde (Debra Ann Shimon) Rosenbek; mother-in-law, Frances Plank Brown (Michael Hibner); and cousin, Tracey Taylor (Alex) Conde.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be sent to Mountain Goat Trail P.O. Box 968, Monteagle, TN 37356. A celebration of life for Clay will be held at a later date.