Funeral services for Mr. Johnny Vallon "Parker" Taylor, 71, of Columbia, South Carolina will be held on Saturday June 26, 2021 at 2:00 pm in the Pearson's Funeral Home-Chapel with burial in the Gates of Heaven Cemetery 1178 Heyward Brockington Rd. Columbia, South Carolina. There will be a viewing on Friday from 12:00 noon to 7:00 pm at the Pearson's Funeral Home 4508 N. Main Street Columbia, South Carolina. He was born in Columbia, South Carolina the son of the late Ike Taylor Sr. and Rosa Lee Beard Taylor on February 14, 1950. He was the second to nine children were born to this union. Mr. Taylor departed life on June 17, 2021 in the city of his birth. For early and middle school education, he attended Fairwold Elementary, Ridgewood Elementary, and Fairwold Junior High, all in Columbia, South Carolina. He graduated from C.A. Johnson High School in June 1968. Having been a stellar high school varsity athlete, he excelled in basketball, football, and track. He won many athletic trophies and lettered in basketball as well as football. He was awarded a football scholarship to Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina where he majored in chemistry. He served in the United States Army in Vietnam. Some years later, he did a tour in Korea with the 11th Bravo Infantry Division. Mr. Taylor led an interesting and versatile life in that he was employed in unusual occupations for part of his youth. He worked on a shrimping boat traveling along the coasts of Mexico, Central America, South America as far as Brazil, and parts of the Caribbean for two years shrimping. He also worked in Alaska on the Alaska Pipeline as a pipefitter. He briefly resided in Los Angeles, California where he was employed in the automotive business. He returned to his hometown, and spent most of his life working primarily as a carpenter, but he was also a welder. Mr. Taylor was predeceased by his wife, his parents; Mr. Ike Taylor SR., and Mrs. Rosa Lee Beard Taylor, and three brothers, Mr. Boykin Taylor, Mr. Ike Taylor Jr., Mr. Clarence "Don" Taylor and one sister, Mrs. Maudine "Mauline" Taylor Summers. He is survived by his son, Johnny Taylor Jr..; four sisters: Ms. Hellen R. "Snookie" Taylor of Las Vegas, Nevada; Mrs. Alma Taylor Augustus Falls Church, Virginia; Ms. Laura "Tootsie" Taylor of Columbia, South Carolina; Mrs. Carolyn "Carrie" Taylor Branham (Darren) Atoka, Tennessee,. and a brother in-law Ezell Summers of Columbia, South Carolina; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives, and friends.