I remembered this article running in the DI a couple years back and just managed to Google it down. The headline's poignant now that he really is gone, but I can't help but smiling at this attitude toward mortality:
Rick Taylor was the second Johnson County resident to vote in this year's congressional election.
He wasn't sure he'd be around to see the result.
"I thought I might die," said Taylor, a volunteer with the Johnson County Democrats who had been hospitalized for chronic health problems relating to his diabetes.
"I found out later that I have to be alive through Nov. 8 for the vote to count," he said with a chuckle, sitting among a swarm of red, white, and blue fliers and posters supporting Democratic candidates.
That's my stuffed donkey helping Rick on the phone bank. Rick was feisty and funny and a great husband and dad. And here's a little of how he'd like to be remembered:
"Rick was a proud member of Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 125 of Cedar Rapids for 27 years - working for various union plumbing companies. He was a strong believer in the strength of organized labor and was the major factor in the successful SEIU campaign to organize P & S staff at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics. He was also proud to be a Democrat. Despite many health problems, he always found the time and energy to do whatever was necessary for Democratic candidates to win."
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