ALVORD, Texas — Jeff Taylor, a beloved husband and father of two who was known throughout North Texas and beyond as a member of the acclaimed Dallas indie rock band Air Review, died on Saturday, March 9, in an automobile collision in Alvord.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Taylor’s 2022 GMC Sierra collided with a semi-trailer truck on U.S. Highway 81/287 crossover in Wise County, seven miles north of Decatur. Both vehicles were solely occupied by their drivers at the time of the crash.
Per a preliminary DPS investigation, the driver of the semi was uninjured in the collision. DPS said a Wise County Justice of the Peace pronounced Taylor dead at the scene.
In the wake of the crash, members of the Alvord community have launched a petition pleading for improved safety measures along a stretch of highway that has “proven to be hazardous and life-threatening.”
Taylor, 44, lived in Sunset, Texas, with his wife Sara, his son Callum and his daughter Evan.
He worked as the technical director at Irving Bible Church for 14 years. In 2018, he launched his own audio, video and lighting production company called Taylor Pro Audio, which worked with churches, businesses and other events across North Texas and the surrounding area. He also served as the operations manager for the epoxy coatings company Petra Coutings.
He was highly regarded everywhere he went. Shortly after word of his passing broke, an endless string of social media eulogies began being posted, remembering Taylor’s congenial spirit, generous personality and selfless contributions to the local community. Be it a friend from church or an acquaintance from the Dallas music scene, the throughline in each of these postings was clear: A hard-working man of faith, Taylor treated his friends and colleagues like family, and his own family like gifts from God.
I personally always relished my interactions with him and his equally kind-natured wife throughout the years — some expected, many by surprise — as our paths crossed in the Dallas music scene and community. As a music writer, I was fortunate enough to cover his efforts with his bandmates in Air Review from their very beginnings in 2009. Even in a band dripping with talent, Taylor always stood out to me as the sturdy and calming presence, if not its guiding light.
His disarming disposition and aw-shucks smile were always welcome sights. I don’t recall the last time we interacted; I just know I wish it wasn’t our final chance at exchanging hellos.
I’m thankful to have gotten to know Jeff even just a little bit, and I know I’m not alone in that sentiment. And that’s as strong a mark of a good man as might exist.
Taylor’s life will be celebrated this weekend. Visitation will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 16, at White Family Funeral Home in Bowie. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 17, at Crossroads Church in Decatur.
In lieu of flowers, his family asks that memorials be made to Jenny’s Hope at Wise County Christian Counseling, an organization that helps families and young ones cope with grief after the loss of a family member.
