Washington ("Wattie") Taylor III Obituary

Wattie was raised by his mother, Stella (Hubbard) Taylor, a high school English teacher, in Norfolk VA, after his father Washington Taylor Jr. passed away when Wattie was one year old. Although Wattie was an only child, he grew up with many cousins and as a boy enjoyed sailing and singing in a boys choir, activities he continued throughout his life. He graduated from Woodbury Forest High School (VA) and Yale University, and served for two years as a navigator in the Navy, flying the Distant Early Warning line from Newfoundland to the Azores. After his military service, he earned his Masters degree in Architecture from Yale, and married Vivian, a concert pianist, in 1964. He and Vivian moved to Cambridge, MA in 1966, where Wattie worked as an architect and they raised two sons. He was an early advocate of renewable energy and sustainable building practices in the 1970s, and was an active member of the Old Cambridge Baptist Church (OCBC) community during his years in Cambridge.

Wattie had an adventurous, artistic, and rebellious spirit. In later years, he moved on from architecture and worked as a carpenter, actor, model, and cab driver, and engaged in extensive anti-nuclear and peace activism. He taught sailing at camp Encore/Coda in Maine, and he enjoyed many summers at a lake island cabin without running water or electricity. He lived for some time in Germany and in Turkey, where he taught English. In 2005 he moved to Berkeley, California, where he pursued writing (poetry and prose) and drawing, and connected with the local Quaker and Unitarian communities. He moved to the Point at Rockridge, in Oakland CA, in 2020, where he was a well-known member of the community until his death. Wattie was an often provocative character, with a gentle soul, and his presence in the world will be missed by those who knew and loved him. He leaves two sons, Ethan Taylor and Washington ("Wati") Taylor IV, daughters-in-law Iryna and Kara, grandchildren Clarissa and Logan, former spouse Vivian Taylor, and friends on both coasts.