H. Grant Taylor

COL (Ret) Harvey Grant Taylor, Jr, MD, age 69, passed away on Saturday, October 4, after a lengthy but valiant battle with heart failure. His family surrounded him at his bedside in his final moments. Born April 11, 1945 in Atlanta, Georgia, Grant lived briefly in Japan after World War II but was raised in Houston, Texas. He graduated from St. John's School in Houston in 1963 and received an appointment to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point. During his time at West Point, Grant marched in President John F. Kennedy's funeral and President Lyndon B Johnson's inauguration. After graduating in 1967, Grant successfully completed Army Ranger School in Fort Benning, Georgia. Following in his father's footsteps, Grant attended medical school at Duke University, graduating in 1972. Grant completed a residency in internal medicine at Madigan Army Medical Center at Ft Lewis in Tacoma, Washington. He completed a fellowship in hematology/oncology at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC. While at Walter Reed, Grant was chair of the Hematology/Oncology department and served as the Army Surgeon General's hematology/oncology consultant. He retired from the Army in 1987 and moved to Memphis, Tennessee to become the director of the Van Vleet Cancer Center at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. In 1991, Grant moved to Lubbock, Texas and was a much-loved hematologist/oncologist for seven years. For several years, Grant served as medical director of the Lubbock chapter of the American Cancer Society (ACS). In 1999, he was awarded the ACS's Silver Stirrup award for excellence in cancer care. Grant and his family moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in 1998. He was a founding partner of Oncology Specialists of Charlotte, along with two other Army colleagues, James Boyd, MD and Geoff Chapman, MD. Grant practiced with in the group until his recent illness. He served as medical director for Novant Health Hospice. Despite his strength and many accomplishments, Grant is remembered as kind, gentle, and humble physician, colleague, and friend. In his 40-year career as a cancer physician, Grant was well-respected for his bedside manner and gentility in dealing with patients, their families, and difficult end-of-life issues. He touched countless lives during his career and is remembered fondly by the Charlotte medical community, including his physician colleagues and countless nurses and hospital staff. More than anything, Grant loved his family. He is survived by his beloved wife of 41 years, Janet S. Taylor, of Charlotte, two children, Lockwood Grant Taylor, PhD (Holly) of Washington, DC, and Caitlin Elizabeth Taylor, of New Orleans, LA, and infant twin grandsons, Lockwood Sledge Taylor and Eason Grant Taylor, whom he loved dearly in the short time they had together. Additionally, he is survived by a brother, COL (Ret) Worth Rogers Taylor (Karen) of Swansea, IL, and his faithful canine companion, Barley. A celebration of the life of Dr. Grant Taylor will be held at 2:00 pm on Friday, October 10th in the chapel at Hankins & Whittington Funeral Service, 1111 East Blvd, Charlotte. The family will receive friends after the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Presbyterian Foundation, Charlotte Community Health Clinic, or NCMedAssist.