James Golden Taylor, age 70, of Eureka, passed away the morning of January 12, 2020.

James was born to Helen Tetzlauff and Paul Taylor on the Lone Star Entertainment Carnival in Greenville, Kentucky. After starring as the other twin in the snake act as a baby he was then raised in Long Beach by his grandparents.

James enlisted in the Army at the age of 18, and after three years of service in Vietnam he then lived on a commune in Oregon. He met and married his wife in Tucson in 1979 and they ‘trucked’ to the hills of Humboldt County, where he built a meticulous home to homestead property off the grid and raise their two children, Jonah and Hannah.

James settled in Eureka, where he met his chosen family. With them he shared some of his most enjoyable years. He turned his six-car garage into “Area 51,” where Kinetic Sculptures were built and he was a part of saving the Kinetic Sculpture Race in 1997. He worked security for numerous concerts and festivals throughout California and Oregon, and later founded the Kinetic Lighting business to perform lighting and sound services at local festivals and music venues.

James was known for his carefree, outspoken and fair personality. He encouraged others to go live and enjoy life and he couldn’t say no to people who came to him for help. He always had music on and often could be found working on projects in his garage. James truly enjoyed sharing the wealth of facts with everyone who stopped by, he loved visiting with family and especially spending time with his grandchildren.

James is survived by his son Jonah Taylor, daughter Hannah Taylor, granddaughters Onnika Ott, Karli Blunkall, and Chloe Montano.

A funeral service will be held at Northern California Veterans Cemetery on February 7, 2020 at 11 am. The family welcomes all who knew and loved James to attend.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of James Taylor’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.