Jackie Taft

Jackie (Jack) Taft, was born in Millwood, Georgia on September 28th, 1941 and died unexpectedly but peacefully
on Friday, September 20th, 2024 in Huntsville, Alabama at the age of 82.
Jack is survived by his wife of 44 years, Shirley Dubose-Taft; his sons, Troy Jack Taft of Milton, FL & Michael
David Taft of Huntsville, AL; his mother-in-law, Betty Dubose of Huntsville, AL; his sister & brother, Virginia
Walden and Roy Taft of Waycross, GA; his grandchildren, Matthew Leon Taft, Jr. (Fiancé, Zahra Rivera) of
Pensacola, FL, Brianna Ali Taft of Molino, FL, Alex Walker Fowler of Huntsville, AL & Austin Leon Taft of
Huntsville, AL. He is preceded in death by his parents, Fannie Jane Wilson Taft & Leon Taft of Millwood, GA;
his father-in-law, Earl Dubose of Cantonment, FL; his son, Matthew Leon Taft of Huntsville, AL; his sisters,
Margie Barnett of Waycross, GA, Betty Murray of Waycross, GA, Ruby Sellers of Pensacola, FL, Lehura Delk
of Sylvester, GA, Josie “Jo” Harper of Sylvester, GA and Dorothy “Dot” Price of Sylvester, GA.
Jack worked in the printing business at Mayes Printing Company for many years until his retirement in 1996. To
acknowledge the impact he had during those years, the owner & his boss, John Phelps, has called Jack every year
on his birthday to send him well wishes and just check in on him & his family. Mr. Phelps was one of the last
people Jack requested to speak with on the phone before he passed. He had such love & admiration for John &
his wife, Ann. Jack was quite the jokester and found such joy in humorously messing with his co-workers. He
would instigate rumors with different ones to get them upset with each other and then go to confess that he had
made all the rumors up himself. He was generally liked & loved by everyone. After we had our first miscarriage
(there would be 5 total before we had our first child), one of the executives at Mayes, Chip Jones, and his wife,
Bonnie, helped get us set up with a great obstetrician friend of theirs, Bo Bagenholm, who finally helped us start
our wonderful family. We will always be thankful to them for that introduction and for their friendship over the
years.
Jack’s children, Troy, Matthew & Michael, all remember him as a strict but loving father that would do anything
to protect them and anything he could to help them grow into the fine young men they turned out to be. He taught
them many things over the years and how to take care of their vehicles. He was always involved in their sports
and activities & they all knew they were loved. Troy & Michael will miss him but will carry his memories and
all the things they were taught throughout the rest of their lives. Matthew, who passed away at 26, will have the
pleasure of reuniting with his dad now.
Jack had seven sisters and one brother, who he loved dearly. He had many nieces & nephews that brought such
joy to his life. He loved hearing about how they were all growing up & making a difference in the world. ALL of
Jack’s family are the kindest & most loving people that every family should be so lucky to have. He loved visiting
with them and sharing childhood stories.
Jack also had such love for his in-law’s family. He loved Earl & Betty Dubose as if they were his own parents.
He had so much respect for them and how they raised their family. He built such a bond with his sisters-in-law,
Sharon & Sandra, and his brother-in-law, David. Subsequently, his nieces and nephews were close to him as well.
He worked hard to make sure everyone’s vehicles were taken care of and any other needs they had were tended
to. Thank you to all of you for loving him as you did. You made his life so much richer and he felt so loved.
One of Jack’s passions was fixing things. He could fix ANYTHING. Every day he enjoyed being in his four-car
garage (that you couldn’t fit one car in due to all the tools and “stuff” he had) and piddling on various things. He
loved a well-manicured lawn! He had 4 riding mowers that he liked to tinker with & even devised a contraption
with his weed-eater by attaching it to a dolly so he wouldn’t have to carry it around. He never got to use it but I
did...and it was awesome!
Jack’s final wishes were to be cremated immediately following his death. He met with our preacher, Michael
McLemore, from Weatherly Church of Christ, prior to his death. We prayed together and Jack let him know he
did not want a service held for him. He just wanted the people that loved him to never forget him and to celebrate
his life by remembering the good times they shared throughout their lives and the love that was shared. Spry

Funeral Home & Crematory is handling the cremation. So, in lieu of sending flowers, all he wanted is for each of
you to share some of your stories of your interactions with him and to carry those on with all the future loved
ones. If you haven’t found God in your life, he would love to have influenced you to seek His love & get saved
so he can be with you again when the Lord calls you Home.
The family would like to thank Dr. John Waples of Clearview Cancer Institute and ALL his amazing & loving
staff for the care you provided him. We would also like to thank Huntsville Hospital’s nursing staff, especially
Reilly in CCUII and Kelly in RCU. You made a terrifying time for him not seem so scary. And Kelly, you will
never be forgotten for the peaceful transition you helped him have in the end. Finally, Dr. Woo...I don’t even
know how to express the gratitude for your splendid care and assistance in making his final hours bearable. Thank
you all so very much!
Any condolences or communications may be sent to his wife, Shirley Taft, at 10101 Redlands Street SW,
Huntsville, AL 35803.

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