William " Bill " Taylor

Obituary: William "Bill" Eugene Taylor, age 66, passed away in Bakersfield on July 16, 2026. He was born in Oxnard, CA on July 22, 1959 to Ples M. Taylor Jr. and Vivian J. Taylor. He had 2 older brothers, Ples III and Terry, who passed away in 1992. Bill had two children, Krista and Justin(mom Helen) and two grandchildren, Lexi and Liam. 

Bill enjoyed all sports, especially Nascar(Dale Earnhardt), Buffalo Bills football, and Dodgers baseball(with Dad). He also played and excelled at baseball, bowling, darts, pool(which his grandpa taught him when he was very young) and cooking BBQ, fishing, music and fun with friends on his Pontoon boat on Lake Kincaid, Illinois. He also raced trucks in the desert as a young man. He also absolutely loved riding his motorcycle, "Blue Feather", beach trips, camping in the backyard, and porch time with Tomi, listening to music(of all genres), and watching movies outside on the porch. 

Bill and Tomi were married Dec. 26, 2022 after coming back together after many years of friendship, after he came back to Bakersfield from Illinois to care for his parents. Bill was a mechanic by trade for many years, beginning at Jeep Bakersfield as a young man, and could take apart and put together anything, on wheels or not. He also was an excellent chef(Chef Boy ar Bill), who loved making BBQ and excellent meals for his friends and family and anyone who wanted to come eat! He also worked at Service Master for a couple years and loved all the people he helped and the friendships he made with his customers. He made friends everywhere he went.

 Bill was preceded in death by his mom Vivian, his dad, Ples Jr. (by only 20 days), his brother Terry and sister in-law Bea, nephew Ples IV(DJ), both grandmas and grandpas, his 4 aunts, and his buddy Timmy. He is survived by his children, Krista(Jesse) and Justin(Sarita), grandchildren Lexi and Liam, brother, Ples III(Denise), nephew Terry Michael(Tricia and Maya), niece Torri(McKynlee and Tanner), his wife Tomi(Shawna and Scott), and many friends he called family, both in Bakersfield and Illinois. Bill will be missed so much by all who knew and loved him. 

Celebration of life will be on Saturday August 8, 2026 at Kern River Family Mortuary Chapel 1900 N. Chester Ave. Bakersfield, Ca 93308 starting at 12:00 pm.