For as glamorous a life as Vernon “Moose” Taylor led, he was not one to make a big deal of it.
Taylor and his late wife, Ann, had the financial means to live large — and they did, in Denver, Vail, New York and London — but few outside an immediate circle realized just how well connected they were.
Taylor was 97 when he died at home in his sleep on May 21, on what would have been the 67th anniversary of his marriage. and his health had been in decline since then.
The Taylors were friends with Prince Philip and Princess Anne of Great Britain and had them as guests at their Jefferson County home when the royal father and daughter made separate visits to Denver in 1987 and 1982, respectively.
Their winter home in Vail, which writer describes as “the gravitational center of Vail’s social universe, around which everything and everyone of any consequence orbits,” was the setting for dinner parties attended by such luminaries as Gregory Peck, Truman Capote, Gerald Ford and Henry Kissinger.
Born March 4, 1916, in Indiana, Pa., Vernon Taylor earned the nickname “Moose” for both his size and his exploits on the Taft School football field. After Taft, he attended New Mexico School of Mines before transferring to Dartmouth College, from which he graduated in 1939.
A naval aviator during World War II, Taylor flew sorties from an aircraft carrier stationed off the Aleutian Islands. After the war, he joined his father in the family business, Westhoma Oil Co., and established its Denver office in 1950.
The couple built a magnificent stone manor house on 160 acres in Jefferson County, complete with stables, horses and fox-hunting hounds. It was there that they hosted the visiting royalty, and, in 1997, wives of the world leaders here for the economic Summit of the Eight.
They spent summers on their cattle ranch in Montana.
Taylor balanced a jet-set life with philanthropy. He served on the boards of the former Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Hospital Foundation, the , the and the .
“He joined our board in 1962, two years after we were established,” recalls Boys & Girls Clubs president and CEO John Arigoni. “He served until 1990, and was a strong supporter of the concept of leveling the playing field for all children so that they’d have a chance to reach their full potential.”
Taylor also served on the boards of Amax Gold, Union Pacific Railroad, Mallinckrodt Group, Cyprus Minerals, Colorado National Bankshares and Placer Dome Ltd. He belonged to the Denver Country Club and San Francisco’s exclusive Bohemian Club, as well as the former Denver Club, Petroleum Club and Brown Palace Club.
Survivors include four sons, Vernon III, Douglas, Robert and Craig, and 11 grandchildren.
Private services have been held.
Memorial contributions to the , or are suggested.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314, jdavidson@denverpost.com or twitter.com/getitwrite
