John Vinje Taylor Obit

JOHN VINJE TAYLOR, 74, of Deerwood, passed away at his home on March 24, 2026. He was born in Merrill, WI, on October 17, 1951 to John and Alice Taylor. He was united in marriage to Sandra Snook on July 19, 1975 in Crosby. John was a retired member of the Deerwood Fire Department from 1978 to 2019, serving as Fire Chief from 1991-2015; a Deerwood First Responder for 30+ years;  served as a council member and as the Mayor of Deerwood; was a member of the Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Board and served as a director for many years; a member of the Sno-Serpents Snowmobile Club and the Cuyuna Regional Medical Center’s Diabetic Support Group. John is survived by his wife, Sandy; two sons, Shawn (Laura) Taylor of Ramsey and Mark (Amber) Taylor of Deerwood; one daughter, Shannon (Larry Haux) Taylor of Deerwood; one sister, Jane (John Lynch) Benjamin of Cambridge; nine grandchildren, Benjamin, Joseph, Nathaniel, Andrew, Kennedy, Madison, William, Kathyrn and Daniel. Preceding John in death are his parents and one grandson, Jackson. A Celebration of Life will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  on Saturday, May 9 at the Deerwood Auditorium. In lieu of flowers memorials may be given to Camp Needle Point (P.O. Box 7023, Merrifield, VA 22116-7023) or Bandon’s Wallet at CRMC. Arrangements are with the Koop Funeral Home in Crosby.