Mell Taylor

Melvin "Mell" Taylor, age 85, passed away Sunday, November 26, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada. He and his Identical twin brother, Delbert, "Dell" were born August 19, 1932, in American Fork, Utah, to Melvin Christensen and Mrytle "Mryt" Adamson Christensen. After Myrtle passed away 3 months after the twins’ birth, Melvin Sr. was unable to care for the boys. While shopping for a cow, their dad and mom, Stanley Strebel and Mildred Elizabeth Warren Taylor, found their boys and legally adopted them a short time later. 　On May 27, 1955 he married Janet Louise Morley in the Manti LDS Temple. They had 8 children, "four of each."

Mell grew up in Provo, Utah. He and his twin brother often found themselves getting into trouble, such as accidentally removing their cow’s tail or leaving a crater in their street at 2:00 a.m. A favorite of theirs was removing watermelon hearts from all the neighbors in pursuit of just the right one.

Following high school, he graduated from DeForest Technical School in Chicago, IL. Upon returning home from school, he was drafted into the Army and served in the Korean Conflict. 　He began his new family while living in John Day, Oregon, where he served as a District Missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 　In 1962, he moved his young family to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he started work at the Nevada Test Site. 　He worked for many different companies, most recently with the Mirage Hotel. Always active in Church callings, he loved serving his fellow men. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, running, dancing, and sharing the gospel.

He loved his family. They include his wife, Janet; four sons and four daughters: Kim; Kari (Tracy) Eliason; Keli (Jay) Leu; Kenny John (deceased); Kurt (Christine); Koni (Brian) Whitaker all of Las Vegas, NV; Kristi (Troy) Pace of Lake Havasu, AZ; Kasey (Stephanie) of Las Vegas, NV; 24 grandchildren; 17 great grandchildren; and 17 brothers and sisters. His surviving brothers and sisters are: Thom, Tim, Jackie, Carma, Glenda, Sondra, Robert, Larry, and Donna.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, December 2, 2017, at 10 a.m. at the Lorenzi Chapel, 221 Lorenzi Street, Las Vegas, NV 89107. 　Visitation will be held Friday, December 1, 2017, from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. and again from 9:00 – 9:45 a.m. prior to services at the chapel. Interment will be Monday, December 4, 2017, at 10:30 a.m. at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 1900 Veterans Memorial Drive, Boulder City, NV 89005. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Humanitarian Fund of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Friends and family are invited to sign our online guest book at www.moapavalleymortuary.com