William "Buddy" Briley Taylor

William B. “Buddy” Taylor, 88, of Kinston passed away peacefully Tuesday, May 30, 2023, at UNC Lenoir Hospital. 

He is preceded in death by wife Clara Suggs Taylor; parents Calvin and Taffie Taylor; sister Jeanette Taylor Noble; brothers Tom Taylor and Henry Taylor; nephew Joey Taylor; and longtime friend & employee Gail Holden Ottinger. 

Buddy was a very loving husband, father, and “Papa Buddy”. Many family and friends knew him as “Uncle Buddy”. He was dedicated to his family and his businesses. Buddy never knew a stranger and could always find something to talk about with anyone.

After graduating from Deep Run High School in 1952, he entered East Carolina College. He served a tour of duty with the United States Army in Germany.

If not at work, you could find Buddy spending time with his family, riding the roads and in the fields with his car inspecting the crops.  He enjoyed telling stories about his childhood on the farm, his time in the military and his family. 

An entrepreneur at heart, Buddy founded the W.B. Taylor Company in the early 1970s,  four years later he established East Carolina Auction Company. In 1982 he transitioned into the funeral home business with his lifelong friend Lemuel “Doc” Stroud. 

In his spare time Buddy loved playing solitaire with a worn deck of cards, putting puzzles together, watching the news, reading the newspaper, eating ice cream, and going out to eat to socialize.

Buddy was involved in many community initiatives throughout his lifetime. He was appointed to the U.S. Senate Agriculture Advisory Committee where he served along with the Presidents of the U.S. Grain and U.S. Farm Bureau. Buddy was a member at the Pleasant Hill Masonic Lodge #304 and the Lenoir County Shrine Club. 

Buddy was a member of First Baptist Church of Deep Run where he attended all of his life and enjoyed singing hymns and visiting with other members of the church. 

Buddy is survived by daughter Karen Taylor Keene and husband Mark of Kinston; son William “Bill” Taylor II and wife Christine of Kinston; grandchildren Elizabeth Taylor Bowen and husband Hank of Winterville; William “Briley” Taylor III and wife Kayla of Kinston; Taylor Keene Wilson and husband Caleb of Statesville; great-grandchildren Easton Briley Taylor, Cora Ann Bowen, Autumn Marie Taylor, Etta Ruth Bowen, and Adalynn Grace Wilson and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and special friends.

The visitation will be held from 10 a.m.-12 p.m., with the funeral starting at 12 noon, on Friday, June 2, 2023, at Howard-Carter Funeral Home with Pastor Allen Ham and Pastor Michael Wright officiating. Burial will follow in the John Green Smith Family Cemetery on John Green Smith Road Kinston.