Funeral Services for James L. Taylor, Sr age 85, of Picayune, MS, who passed away Monday, January 16, 2023, will be held Monday, January 23, 2023, at the First Baptist Church of Picayune.

Visitation will be Monday, January 23, 2023, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM and the funeral will begin at 12:00 PM.

There will be a graveside service following at New Palestine Cemetery.

Mr. Taylor, a native of Sallis, MS., resided in Picayune for 57 years. He was a 1960 Graduate of  Mississippi State University where he received a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. He worked for the U.S. Air Force in Mobile, Alabama before joining NASA’s Marshall Space Center as a test engineer on the Saturn Apollo program in 1965 at the Mississippi Test Facility. After the Saturn Apollo program ended, he was a Space Shuttle Main Engine test engineer and supported the Space Shuttle Main Propulsion Test Article qualification. In 1988, he transitioned to NASA’s Stennis Space Center where he held several senior management positions before retiring from NASA in 1997. He also served the community of Picayune and Pearl River County in numerous volunteer roles over the years and was active in the First Baptist Church of Picayune as a deacon and an usher for over 50 years.

Mr. Taylor is survived by his three children, James L. Taylor, Jr (Lori) of Madison, AL, Steven A. Taylor (Vickie) of Pass Christian, and Melissa G. Sproles (Brian) of Mandeville, LA. He is also survived by his six grandchildren, James L. (Trey) Taylor, III (Ashley) of Mooresville, NC, John Kelley Taylor and Brock Taylor of Madison, AL, Courtney Taylor of Arlington, VA, Ian Taylor of Jackson, MS, and Ashley Sproles of Oxford, MS and his two great-grandchildren, Slade Taylor and Holt Taylor of Mooresville, NC.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Gale Armstrong Taylor and his parents, CB and Sallie Kate Taylor.

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