Tribute to a fine man.

Although Pat Taylor was born in Steamboat Springs, July 8, 1954, he was truly a Grand County native, living his whole life in the county. Born to, Buck (Malcolm) and Lucy Taylor, his parents were overjoyed to finally have a boy in the family. Blonde curly hair with crystal blue eyes, Pat secured his special place in the family as the youngest and only boy with three sisters. He held his special place in our hearts to the very end. Pat’s childhood days were spent primarily in Granby where he honed his athletic skills with the neighborhood kids playing baseball, football, and basketball. As the “boys” grew to adolescents they all became good athletes and did well in the junior and high school athletic programs. His love of sports did not end on the field or court, he also avidly followed all national teams and the player statistics.

Pat developed a strong work ethic, a strong devotion and sense of responsibility to his mother, who stuck by him through all his adolescent antics as well as successes. As with all of us who grew up in Grand County in the early 60’s and 70’s, we had open range on all outdoor activities and Pat was no exception participating in fishing, hunting, hiking, and skiing. Shortly after graduating from Middle Park High School, and a short stint at the Henderson Mine, Pat began what was to become his lifelong occupation in the concrete business. Starting small, with a partner and a pickup, he forged through the years to create one of the most respected concrete businesses in the county. Though he never advertised, his reputation kept his schedule full even during the economic downturns in the 80’s and early 2000’s. His commitment to quality work at a fair price engendered loyalty from his coworkers and contractors throughout the county. His skills to handle tricky jobs brought him the opportunity to provide the concrete work for jobs like the Snow Mountain Ranch Summer Tubing Hill, Fraser Rec Center, Grand County Judicial Building, and countless homes. In between these challenges and opportunities, Pat built three homes for his family, 2 in Granby and the final in Fraser.

His first marriage blessed him with his daughter Cassidy, who in adulthood, along with her husband Jim Henderhan, became instrumental in running T & C Concrete. Cassidy and Jim also blessed Pat with three wonderful grandchildren, Tom, Lauren and Cole. The grand kids were his pride and joy and he doted on them following them through wrestling matches, football and even Cole’s mutton busting at the Middle Park Fair. In 1996 however, Pat found the true love of his life and soul mate when he reconnected with his high school friend, Cristie Clayton. They fell hard for one another and were married in 1997. Pat embraced Cristies’ son Cody as his own and Cody became part of the Taylor family. So began the best years of his life. With his marriage to Cristie, Pat finally learned that life is not all work and they began to play and travel, often to Mexico, and Central America. Their road trips became infamous family tales and if fishing was a part of the agenda, Pat was a happy man.

For the many that knew Pat, he was often described as open hearted, generous, always with a good story, with the door always open. More than one stray kid or relative showed up on the Taylor’s doorstep in need of guidance or help, and Pat never failed to help them find their way. In the later years, when the concrete business had taken its toll on Pat’s health, he was often sitting on the porch in the Fraser house, where he received guests, relatives, and friends, always happy to visit and hear their stories. His health issues plagued him, but his retort was always “It’s all good”. He remained forever grateful for his wife, kids and grandchildren. We lost Pat on May 14th, 2020. Not only will his family and friends miss him, but Grand County has truly lost one of the “Good Ones”.