James Henry Taylor, 62: Jogger and Civil War buff
In 2001, James Taylor left Hartford and the Northeast for Atlanta's more genteel pace.
He liked the Southern people and the hospitality, but he avoided the fattening fried foods.
Years after living here, he didn't lose a New York dialect that was honed growing up in Queens. Ditto for his northern ways, relatives say.
"His northern attitude and accent, he still had that," said his wife, Jean Taylor, of Smyrna. "I think he shocked some people when they would call here. But he loved it here. He loved his job and he loved the South."
"He wanted a different pace of life," added a son, James Taylor of San Diego, Calif. "And he liked the friendliness of the people here, the way they say hello to each other. You don't get that up north."
Mr. Taylor had always been an avid jogger. Here, he participated in the annual Peachtree Road races. He ran several miles a week on routes in his hometown of Smyrna.
Recently, he'd picked up his pace to prepare for the the ING Half Marathon, held March 21 in Atlanta. His time: 3 hours and 4 minutes.
"He wasn't running for speed," his wife said. "Running was his thing."
On Saturday, James Henry Taylor was out for a morning run when he suffered a fatal heart attack. He was 62. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Unity North Atlanta Church in Marietta. Carmichael Funeral Homes is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Taylor always had a head for numbers. He received an undergraduate degree in accounting from Pace University in New York City and his master's degree from Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y.
He held various accounting posts in Connecticut and New York City before he was offered a job as director of state tax for ING Financial Services in Atlanta. Matthew Taylor, a son who lives in Queens, remembers visiting his father's office as a child, when the accountant worked for various New York firms.
"This was before computers," he said, "and he had the green ledger spreads and the adding machines. We'd get to play with the machines."
In the past year, Mr. Taylor had been named ING's assistant vice president. He was active in the Tax Executives Institute, a nonprofit, international association of business executives, and a trade association called the Council on State Taxation.
Aside from jogging, Mr. Taylor enjoyed history. Many family vacations were planned around visits to some historic battlefield. To make the trips more appealing to the children, the Boy Scouts volunteer would include an activity like a visit to an amusement park, relatives said.
"We went to Gettysburg a number of times," Matthew Taylor said. "We'd look at the battlefield maps and walk the grounds to see what the views were."
Additional survivors include a daughter, Virginia Smith of Kennesaw; three sons, Noel Osowiecki of Windsor, Conn.; Aaron Osowiecki of Roslindale, Mass.; and Justin Osowiecki of West Springfield, Mass; a sister, Mary Haviken of Long Island; and 10 grandchildren.
