Taylor Glenn Chavez

Taylor Glenn Chavez was born into this incredible world on October 19, 2000. His sole purpose in this fragile life seemed to be making people smile. He was taken from his earthly family far too soon and the void he leaves behind will be painfully exposed for as many years as it takes to be reconnected with him. Taylor was born and lived his entire life in Wichita, Kansas, until a tragic car accident interrupted his dreams. Most recently, Taylor worked at Lowes and was accepted into K-State University for the upcoming fall semester. He dreamed of obtaining a degree in accounting to pay the bills and entertaining himself and others by laying down sick beats and producing music in his free time. On July 4, Taylor’s dreams were shattered in that accident. He continued to fight for his own life, then eventually he fought for others to live through his incredible decision to be an organ donor. Taylor ultimately finished his fight on July 16, 2020, when Midwest Transplant Network began searching for people whose lives he could change forever. If his family could say one thing to this world Taylor left behind, they would beg you to consider the consequences of getting behind the wheel if you are under the influence. As a young child, Taylor made a vow that he held true to his final breath. He promised himself and everyone else that he would never take a drink of alcohol in his life. He succeeded in upholding that vow, yet he suffered the consequence of someone else’s influence. Taylor has been embraced far too soon in the spiritual world by those who preceded him including his grandmother, Linda Chavez, and aunt, Michelle Towne. He has been survived by a host of family and loved ones too great in number to mention in entirety. His immediate survivors include his mother and step-father, Tiffany and Jason Fry (Wichita, KS); brother, Dylan; his father and step-mother, Ben and Nikki Chavez (Wichita, KS) and sisters, Mikalah and Maci. He is also survived by his grandparents, Glenn Lay (Hutchinson, KS), Sally (Dave) Balderdon (Mission, TX), Benjamin (Cindi Dedeaux) Chavez (Coffeyville, KS); step-grandparents, Mary (Walt) Rosenquist (Ft. Wayne, IN), Mike (Judy) Fry (Ft. Wayne, IN), Karma (Gary) Mason (Wichita, KS), Tim (Peggy) Wagner (Wichita, KS) and his aunt, Lynnie Krehbiel (Hutchinson, KS). Taylor is also survived by a great number of other aunts, uncles, cousins, extended family, lifelong friends he considered family, coworkers and friends who loved him. Taylor cherished family. He especially loved being a big brother and exercising all the rights entitled to that role from being the protector to being the antagonist. He loved to play games with his siblings and had a way of turning any simple activity into a high-stakes competition. If Taylor wasn’t winning, he would begin spouting off useless facts that somehow only he knew in an effort to convince his opponent that he was the rightful winner. But, in the words of his precious youngest sister, Maci, “sometimes he cheated at Monopoly.” It turns out he and his siblings all share the same love of competition and triumph. And, in true sibling fashion there were many times that a game never reached the finale because of the fierceness of their passions. No matter what steps he took to ensure he won the game, the gentleness and love he extended to his younger brother and sisters was undeniably genuine. When Taylor wasn’t with family, he was treating everyone who knew him as if they were his family. He was a loyal friend who always found himself in the right place to make an incredible impact on the lives of those around him. Whether his friends needed a deep and mindful discussion, an uplifting quote from “The Office”, help out of a difficult place, a listening ear, a song recommendation to fit the mood, or a good laugh, Taylor would drop anything to be there for them. He even developed a training course for some of his friends that he called “Savings: 101”. He served his friends selflessly and loved, like family, anyone who loved him. Taylor began making friends at Treehouse Learning Center then moved on to Oatville Elementary, Pray-Woodman Elementary, Challenger Intermediate, Goddard Middle, and finally graduated from Goddard High School in 2019. He moved on to WSU Tech as he prepared for his future at K-State. His acceptance into the Wildcat family was one of the highlights of Taylor’s life. In recent years, Taylor searched himself and the world around him for answers to his deep spiritual questions. He was dedicated to loving and serving all humanity and found his personal beliefs to align best with the Baha’i faith community. He was declared a member of the Baha’i Faith Center in Wichita, KS in 2019. Taylor was an incredibly strong and determined young man. He was born facing challenges that most people never have to. He endured his first surgery to repair cleft lip and palate at 2 months old and continued to courageously tackle every obstacle set before him without complaint. Taylor never leaned on the adversity he faced as a crutch. Instead he chose to focus on every joy that surrounded him. He bravely endured nearly 20 surgeries in his short life and became a loyal supporter of Shriners Hospitals for Children in Chicago who served him through so many of his procedures. Taylor searched for ways to make people laugh. He went out of his way for anyone in need. He made sure everyone who knew him felt special to him. He stood up for those who couldn’t stand alone, and he never passed up an opportunity to advocate for a cause he believed in. If Taylor could say one thing to this world he left behind, he would beg you to think of his parents, sisters and his brother before you choose to drive under the influence. Recently, Taylor took his first trip to Shriners Hospital by himself. He was at a point in life where he was reaching one foot, sometimes unsteadily, into adulthood. Taking that trip to Chicago alone was a powerful view of the independence he was moving towards. Taylor’s Memorial Service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, July 23, at Pathway Church. Memorial donations may be made to Shriners Hospital for Children-Chicago, 2211 N. Oak Park Ave., Chicago, IL 60707 www.donate.lovetotherescue.org (please designate Chicago Hospital) and Ronald McDonald House, c/o Taylor Chavez Memorial, 1301 W. 22nd St., Oakbrook, IL 60523.