Anthony "Tony" Edward Taylor (23 Nov 1949 - 5 Dec 2020)
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Tony Taylor, loving husband to Jenny, proud father to Matthew, Lauren and James, and devoted grandfather to Maëlis, Gwenaël, Freddie and Azilis, peacefully passed away at the age of 71 following a short illness.
Tony was born in Aston, Birmingham and among his earliest memories was the sound of roars from his beloved Villa Park, a few streets away. A keen sportsman himself in his junior years, he was captain of both the school football and cricket teams, and skippered the Birmingham Boys squad on a trip to Germany.
He graduated in Fine Art from Leicester Polytechnic in 1973; there he was tutored by Gavin Bryars, with whom he shared a great interest in the Fluxus movement, George Brecht, Zen, chess and five-a-side football.
He subsequently exhibited at the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham and at Pushpin Gallery in Nottingham. Following this, he became involved with machine embroidery and its industrial application. After launching his own embroidery digitizing firm in the heart of Nottingham's Lace Market, Tony's exemplary craftsmanship informed several fruitful and enduring collaborations with designers and artists, from Paul Smith to Grayson Perry.
Both a music lover and an accomplished musician, Tony lent his harmonica, vocal, guitar and Jew's harp skills to numerous band performances and recordings. Alongside his many creative pursuits, he also took great pleasure in food and drink, particularly a good veggie curry accompanied by a glass of red. While deeply principled in some respects, he had an infectious and finely honed sense of the absurd and irreverent that would provide cheer to most every situation.
He will be greatly missed by all, family and friends.
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