John Taylor

January 10, 1933 - May 2025

A native Californian, John was born in Long Beach. He attended schools in Pasadena and South Pasadena, graduating from South Pasadena - San Marino High School. He earned his BS degree at the University of California at Berkeley and became a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity, Phi Eta Sigma, Beta Gamma Sigma, Phi Beta Kappa, and the Order of the Golden Bear. His senior year, he was the Cadet Colonel of the Air Force ROTC and selected as the outstanding Air Force ROTC cadet.

After college, John spent two years as the Management Analysis Officer at Hunter AFB, Strategic Air Command, in Savannah, Georgia. Following his service, he returned to his beloved Cal for law school where he was Associate Editor of the California Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif. He then studied Mexican business and tax law in Mexico City on a Ford Foundation Grant. After returning, he became an associate and later the senior partner of what began as the Los Angeles law firm Taylor & Barker, founded in 1930 by his father. He practiced with that firm and its successors until he retired in 2016 from Taylor Summers & Torossian.

John strove to strengthen our legal system by participating in many bar related activities. He was president of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Chancery Club, and Berkeley Law Alumni Association. He was honored to receive the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Shattuck Price Memorial Award in 1995.

Community was important to John. He served on boards including the Pasadena Public Library Foundation, University of California Berkeley Foundation, Hospice of Pasadena, Phi Beta Kappa Alumni of Southern California, Villa Esperanza Services, and chaired the Caltech Y. He was a life member of the Sierra club and Board of Councilors for Save the Redwoods League. He enjoyed being a member of the Twilight Club, the Gnome Club of Caltech, and chairing the Pasadena Breakfast Forum.

Friendship was foundational for John and he faithfully stayed in contact with friends for decades, often reaching out on birthdays. As a life-long learner, John savored thousands of books and audio books. His hobbies included travel, trout fishing, and backpacking, crossing every pass on the Eastern Sierra and completing the John Muir Trail.

John is predeceased by his wife Elizabeth, and survived by his daughters Jean Cherniss (Jeff), Annie Garner (Craig), and Stephanie Taylor; two step-daughters, three grandchildren and five step-grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren.

John passed away peacefully at home. We take comfort knowing that anytime our dad quoted John Muir, "The mountains are calling and I must go," a trip was coming...Daddy, we know you are enjoying the view!

Whittier Daily News, May 30, 2025