Thomas N. Taylor, Sussex waterman

Thomas Newell Taylor, 53, of Lewes, set sail on his final voyage Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013, at Nanticoke Memorial Hospital in Seaford.Tom was born in Wilmington, son of Newell and Nancy (Moore) Taylor.

Tom was an avid waterman who spent most of his life working on the water, from clamming on the Rehoboth Bay in his youth, working on the clam boats for Martin Fish Company, owning his own fishing business, and finally as a mate on tugboats for Vane Brothers.

Tom was very involved in sports and hunting. He played football and wrestled at Cape Henlopen High School where his mother, Nancy Taylor, worked as the school secretary. Growing up in Pinewater Farms gave him the opportunity to share his love for waterskiing on Herring Creek with many close friends and relatives. He also loved to duck hunt and deer hunt. He dedicated his later years to raising the children he adored.

He is survived by his son, Brian Alexander Taylor, who works as a deckhand at Vane Brothers; his daughter, Rebecca Marie Taylor, who is a student of early childhood education at Delaware Technical Community College as well as working many part time jobs; his father, Newell C. Taylor; and his beloved dog Scrapple.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m., Monday, Oct. 14, at the chapel of Melson Funeral Services, 32013 Long Neck Road, Millsboro, where friends and family may call after 10 a.m. Burial will be in Conley’s Methodist Cemetery in Lewes.