Columbia titan Joe Taylor remembered as ‘courageous,’ ‘larger than life,’ during funeral service

An organ played as the pews at Columbia’s First Presbyterian Church began to fill Thursday afternoon. All manner of local dignitaries crowded into the large sanctuary.

At the front of the room sat a closed casket draped in South Carolina’s flag.

“We are here to worship almighty God and to give to our God our joyful thanks for the well-lived, the faithful, the inspiring, the courageous life of Joe Earl Taylor Jr.” the Rev. David Lauten said when the music quieted.

Taylor, a Columbia titan known for his business acumen and unapologetic demeanor, died unexpectedly Dec. 29. He was 64 years old.

“This crowd is just a fraction of the lives my dad touched,” said Taylor’s daughter, Ann Taylor Corontzes.

“He always said you shouldn’t strive to be the smartest person in the room. Instead, you should surround yourself with the best and brightest,” she said.

Taylor Corontzes shared examples of how her father touched the lives of many across the Midlands, but she said he excelled best at being a loving father.

“What a blessing it is that I get to share my hero with so many,” she said.

Taylor was “larger than life,” and a “forever friend,” said the Rev. Derek Thomas, senior minister at First Presbyterian, Taylor’s home church.

Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann and West Columbia Mayor Tem Miles were named honorary pallbearers, along with Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook and Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott.

Flags outside the S.C. State House were lowered to half-staff Thursday in Taylor’s honor.

Taylor had served one year of his four-year term on City Council. He previously served as South Carolina’s commerce secretary from 2005 to 2011. His work during that time is credited with luring major manufacturing to the state, including airplane manufacturer Boeing.

He had been leading a charge on City Council to overhaul Columbia’s property tax structure and to find ways for government to support small businesses. He had also made strides in developing new businesses in West Columbia. In 2020, he was named West Columbia’s man of the year.

“He was a giant among men, that rare combination of highly effective businessperson, but someone who hadn’t lost his soul,” former Gov. Mark Sanford said after Taylor’s death. “You couldn’t find a greater friend than Joe Taylor.”

Most others said something similar.

“He was a no-nonsense person. And if something was to be done, he wanted it done right, and he wanted it to be done now,” Lott said. “But behind the scenes, he was a kind and gentle person.”

Condolences also poured in on social media following Taylor’s death.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-Seneca, wrote on Twitter that “Joe was a force in South Carolina business and politics, and a friend to so many.”

Gov. Henry McMaster wrote on Twitter that Taylor “has had an enormous impact on the Midlands and on the state of South Carolina.”

McMaster and his wife, Peggy, were present at the funeral Thursday along with Sanford, Graham, S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson, University of South Carolina head football coach Shane Beamer and dignitaries from across the Midlands and South Carolina.

Taylor is survived by his wife, Amanda; his son, John Taylor; and daughter, Ann Taylor Corontzes. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations to the newly established JET Fund to provide financial support to amputees seeking prosthetic devices and services.