Jeffery Steven Taylor

Arden- Jeffrey Steven Taylor, 74, of Arden, passed away on Friday, October 2, 2026 at his residence. A native of Chambers County, AL, he was a son of the late Arnold and Helen Norville Taylor.

From an early age, Steve was introduced to Scouting through his mother, Helen, beginning a relationship with Scouting that would last most of his life. He became an Eagle Scout as a teenager and, after graduating from Troy University, turned that early passion into a career with Scouting America.

Steve began his career in Reidsville, North Carolina, and his work took him throughout the Southeast before eventually bringing him and his family to Asheville and the Daniel Boone Council. Over the years, he served on staff at Philmont Scout Ranch, Northern Tier, and Florida Sea Base, attended and worked on staff at numerous National Scout Jamborees. Over the course of his career, he introduced thousands of young people and families to Scouting. He retired in 2008 after 32 years.

Service continued to be a big part of Steve’s life outside of Scouting. He was an active member of Rotary for 50 years, belonging to several clubs as life moved him from place to place, serving in various leadership roles, and becoming a Paul Harris Fellow.

Later, Steve became involved with Blue Ridge Honor Flight and served on its Board of Directors. He attended flights and helped with countless details behind the scenes, but his favorite part was coordinating the Welcome Home Celebrations. He loved making sure veterans returned to a crowd ready to cheer for them, shake their hands, and give them the kind of homecoming they deserved. It was work that meant a great deal to him.

And for many years, Steve also had another very important job: serving as one of Santa’s local helpers. Each Christmas season, he put on the red suit and brought a little extra Christmas magic to children and families throughout Western North Carolina—a role he thoroughly enjoyed and, with his personality (and birth date), was pretty well suited for.

Scouting, Rotary, Honor Flight, and even his time in the red suit all gave Steve something he genuinely enjoyed: a chance to be around people, be part of his community, and do something that mattered to someone else.

Steve is survived by his wife, Valerie Davis Taylor; one daughter, Stephanie Kelley (Robert) of Arden; one son, Matthew Taylor of Dallas, TX; two sisters, Hope Taylor Allen of Madison, GA and Barbara Venters (John) of Carrollton, GA; two grandchildren, Evangeline Kelley of Arden and Elliot Kelley of Chicago, IL; mother-in-law, Alice Davis of Valley, AL; sister-in-law Fran Davis Groover (William) of Lanett, AL as well as several nieces, nephews and cousins.

A Celebration of Steven’s Life will be held at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, October 7, 2026 at Mills River United Methodist Church.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to either Scouting America or to Mills River United Methodist Church.

Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian is assisting the family.