Dr. Jerry D. Taylor, 74, of Buies Creek died Tuesday, January 15, 2013, at Wake Medical Center in Raleigh. Jerry Taylor was born June 5, 1938, in Plumerville, Arkansas, to William Sherman Taylor and Edna Faye Taylor. He began his working career at age 6, selling newspapers. He worked in a movie theater throughout high school and worked in a cotton mill and played in a dance band while he attended Arkansas State Teachers College. Thereafter he taught mathematics for the next 47 years, one year at a high school in Havre de Grace, MD, and the next 46 at Campbell College/University in Buies Creek, NC.
He attended the Arkansas School for the Blind from grades 3 through 6 and graduated from Morrilton High School. He graduated from ASTC (now UCA), earned an M.S. in mathematics from the University of Arkansas, and a Ph. D. in math education from Florida State.

Jerry loved teaching math, and many students loved him and regarded him as a mentor, even students who struggled with math. In 1970, Jerry started at Campbell one of the first math contests for high school students in North Carolina. He was active in the North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics and served for years on the NCCTM's State Math Contest Committee. He was a coauthor of the Prentice Hall Encyclopedia of Mathematics. In 2008, he received the NCCTM's Rankin Award for excellence in mathematics education.

Jerry was both a Democrat and a democrat. He liked people and took a genuine interest in them. He was as cordial to the housekeeping staff as he was to the college president. And he knew everybody's name. In his last month in hospital, he knew the name of every nurse and nurse's aid, even though he was legally blind and could not read their names on the white board in his room.

Jerry loved his family deeply, and they continue to love him. He is survived by his brother Larry (wife Johnnie); his wife Louise; his sons Todd, Joshua, and Nathan (wife Erin); and his granddaughter Vivian.

Memorial service will be 2:00 PM Saturday, January 19, 2013, at Memorial Baptist Church in Buies Creek.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Memorial Baptist Benevolence Fund, PO Box 485, Buies Creek, NC 27506; to the Study Abroad Program, College of Arts and Sciences, Campbell University, Buies Creek, NC 27506; or to a charity of your choice.

Memorial service will be 2:00 PM Saturday, January 19, 2013, at Memorial Baptist Church in Buies Creek.