Celebrant Pam Meily Vetter


	Celebrating Life Everyone Has A Story...

Michael Richard Taylor was born in Glendale to his parents Karla Keese Taylor and Bruce Taylor in 1982. He was raised with his brother, Robert, and his sister, Sarah. Michael grew up in Glendale and La Cañada. He was an active child who was fearless. He loved super heroes and his favorite was Superman. Michael had to be reminded that he couldn't fly and his mom would have to negotiate with him so he wouldn't go out dressed like Superman. It was so adorable and there are wonderful photos of a young Michael dressed as Superman, seemingly ready to take flight at any moment. Michael and his brother, Robert, were two years apart and they played super heroes together. He was a very protective and loving big brother to Robert and his little sister, Sarah. Michael was close to his extended family as well. He loved his grandparents, aunts and uncles, and he enjoyed spending time with his cousins. As a result of family visits to Solana Beach, Michael always had a great love of the ocean. He enjoyed fishing, boogie boarding, and he just loved the waves.

When Michael was seven, he picked out a Yellow Lab puppy that he named Gus. He loved that dog for many years to come. With a love of sports, Michael played T-ball and Little League baseball. His big passion was basketball, as he shot hoops in the backyard all the time. It paid off. When he was 13, he entered a free throw contest where hundreds of kids competed. Michael advanced through every round until it was down to Michael and another boy. Michael made 96 out of 100 baskets and he won the contest. He was awarded a trophy that still adorns a shelf at his father's home. It was one of Michael's favorite moments and made his family so very proud. Over the years, he played basketball with his buddies regularly. Michael liked spending time with his friends, going to parties, and he was a real socializer. He was a people person.

Michael's passion for the restaurant business seemed to be inborn. When he was a teenager, he worked at Taylor's Steak House and he liked the business. After La Cañada High School, he took some college classes and was determined to pursue his dreams. Attending Le Cordon Bleu of Culinary Arts in Pasadena, he graduated with a degree in the Hospitality and Restaurant Management Program in 2006. At home, he was a wonderful chef in the kitchen. His sister, Sarah, was thrilled when Michael would whip up a dish of his famous Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise Sauce on Christmas morning. It was delicious. He made a lot of great meals for his family over the years, because he really appreciated quality food. Pursuing his dreams, he expanded his experience. He interned for three months at Morton's Steakhouse in Downtown Los Angeles and they hired him full-time. He rose to the position of Captain at Morton's. Growing from his experience, he took over the Management and Operation of the original Taylor's Steak House in Downtown Los Angeles in 2008. He loved that work because it was in his blood. Truly, it was a blessing to have him in the family business. His very successful tenure at Taylor's Steak House earned him the title of President and Chief Executive Officer. Michael loved every aspect of the business, even going to the Restaurant Depot on Saturdays. He just wanted to be a part of it and he was extremely good at it. The customers loved him and he had the ability to cross generations. He had just as much fun with someone his own age or someone who was over 70. He had an amazing sense of humor and when he walked into a room, he had a warm personality that was wonderful because he was a fun guy. He had a dry wit, a wicked sense of humor with a touch of sarcasm, and his intelligent sense of humor made you think and made you laugh.

With many favorites in life, Michael loved traveling. There were trips with his family to Hawaii and the Bahamas. For three years in a row, the family went to Aspen, Colorado. Michael was an excellent snowboarder and he enjoyed watching snowboarding in the recent Olympics. He also traveled with his friends to Lake Havasu, Laughlin, Las Vegas and New York. He loved being with his friends. When he was younger, he enjoyed listening to music by the Beatles and Guns N' Roses. He developed a real love of Hip Hop music by Tupac and Noz. He loved watching movies and his favorite TV show was the Sopranos. Michael also enjoyed reading mysteries and suspense novels. He read all of the Harry Potter books and there's a wonderful picture of him reading a Harry Potter book while he was in Spain last May with his friends. Michael's favorite color was blue and he was fond of wearing black. He was really an easy-going guy who lived life large and had a loud voice to match. He loved great food, fine wine, and barbequing for his friends on Sundays. Michael had a great smile and laugh and you'd count on him to the make the party. His friends said that he was the universal catalyst for fun. Sundays marked a special day to enjoy every season of sports, especially NFL Football. His favorite team was the Indianapolis Colts and his favorite player was Peyton Manning.

Family and friends were very important to Michael. He adored his father and they always had fun when Michael and Sarah would go over on Sundays so they could watch football together. Sarah looked at magazines, while Michael and his father talked shop and had fun. It was just nice to spend time together. Michael always said, "I love you," and he never got off of the phone with his mom without saying those three special words. On Sunday evenings, he'd stop at his mom's house so they could chat or shoot the breeze. Michael asked his mom out on a "date" two or three times a month on a Monday or Tuesday evening and they'd go out to dinner together. In the summer, Michael would barbeque at his mother's home when Grandma Joan was visiting, and they shared many evenings on the deck under the stars.

With many changes happening in his life, Michael bought a home in September and he had so many dreams yet to fulfill. Michael and Sarah talked about their plan to open a third Taylor's Steak House and expand the family business. He wanted to go back to Spain and he dreamed of visiting Italy. The family had also hoped to take a historical trip to Washington D.C. to visit the Capitol and Smithsonian. His mother had given him a book for Christmas on traveling through wine country in California. Michael really wanted to take his girlfriend, Carolina, to wine country on a special trip that he was planning. He had a real excitement about life and he never lost the little kid excitement for his next adventure. Michael was also a survivor who overcame challenges. He was very strong.

A week before he passed, he enjoyed a special dinner out with his mom. On Sunday evening, Michael tried new dinner items with Sarah and his father at Taylor's. On Monday, Michael saw his father in the office and he spent time with his "pop." On Tuesday, Michael had lunch with his buddies in his private room at Taylor's Steak House. They had a wonderful time. On Wednesday afternoon, he went to see his mom at her house. Even though he was dressed up in a suit, he made the time to take in her trashcans from the street. He told her, "I love you, mama," and he gave her a big hug and kiss. On his final day, he talked to Sarah who had called the restaurant. He said, "Thanks, kid." That evening, he took his girlfriend to a play and then to Taylor's for dinner. They had a nice evening together. His passing was completely unexpected and for the fine young man he was in life, Michael was taken too soon.

Michael loved his Grandpa Keese, with whom he shared his namesake, because he got his middle name Richard from his grandfather. Michael has been reunited with both his Grandpa Keese and his Grandma Taylor. With love for his dog, Michael held his Yellow Lab, Gus, when he passed away in 2004. He loved Gus and now they've been reunited as well. Michael had a heart for everyone. He was baptized as a baby and he believed in God, as he had a spirituality about him. For a man who was happy and excited about life, Michael Taylor will best be remembered for his laughter and his charisma. He truly loved life. His family will miss everything about him, especially his presence. Michael would want his family and friends to remember him, but to be happy, go on and live their best lives.

Michael is loved and remembered by his mother Karla; father Bruce; sister Sarah; brother Robert; grandmother Joan; girlfriend Carolina; aunts, uncles, cousins, and many, many friends. He will be greatly missed by his employees, co-workers, and thousands of his customers.

God Hath Not Promised

By Annie Johnson Flint

God hath not promised
Skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways,
All our lives through;
God hath not promised
Sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow,
Peace without pain.

But God hath promised
Strength for the day,
Rest for the labour,
Light for the way,
Grace for the trials,
Help from above,
Unfailing sympathy,
Undying love.

A Parable of Immortality

By Henry Van Dyke

"I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength, and I stand and watch until at last she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come down to mingle with each other. Then someone at my side says, 'There she goes!'

Gone where? Gone from my sight ... that is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and just as able to bear her load of living freight to the place of destination. Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says, 'There she goes!' there are other eyes watching her coming and their voices ready to take up the glad shouts 'Here she comes!'"

I Never Saw a Moor

By Emily Dickinson

I never saw a moor,
I never saw the sea;
Yet know I how the heather looks,
And what a wave might be.

I never spoke with God,
Nor visited in heaven;
Yet certain am I of the spot
As if the chart were given.