James Wesley (Earl) Taylor

James Wesley “Earl” Taylor, 58, of Dillwyn, passed unexpectantly on January 17, 2026.  Earl was born March 29, 1967, the middle son of Herman Wesley and Maggie Shumaker Taylor.  He lived his entire life in Buckingham County and loved working in the woods.

Earl was 15 years old and started working for Billy Shumaker and Log Hog Logging and continued logging until he passed.  He was always the loader man wearing his Crocs and holding a Dr. Pepper in his hand.

Earl loved playing softball and the first team he played with was Junkyard.  He was one of the best short stop players ever.

Earl was fun to be around and was always telling a funny story, whether it was the truth or not.

Earl began hunting when he was a small boy. He loved his dogs, loved hearing the chase and enjoyed participating in field trials where most of time he would always place.

Ten years ago Earl started managing Captain John’s fox pen.  He decided to change the name to Turpins Creek Fox Preserve.  He loved listening to the dogs running and hanging out with his buddies.  Earl was an active member of Red Hill Hunting Club.

Earl is survived by his wife, Tricia Harris Taylor; two sons, Derek “DJ” Taylor (Savannah) and Dustin “BoBo” Taylor; his two brothers, Charles Taylor and Terry Wayne Taylor (Carrie Ann); sister-in-law, Dana Taylor.  Earl loved his grandchildren, Ryan, Paige and Blake, they were his world; also, nieces, Felicia, Kayla, Jenna and Ava and nephews, William, Alex and Tyler. Special loved ones, Makenzie and Dylan Milbrath and Billy Wright and Family and the family and friends at Red Hill Hunt Club and Turpins Creek.

Funeral service will be held on Wednesday, January 21, 2026 at 2 p.m. at the Dunkum Funeral Home with interment to follow in the Trinity UMC Cemetery, Buckingham.  Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service.

Memorial contributions in Earl’s memory may be made to Virginia Hunting Dog Alliance, P O Box 657, Powhatan, VA 23139 or Buckingham Firefighters Association, P O Box 74, Dillwyn, VA 23936.