William R. Taft, 82, a longtime resident of Windsor, passed away Monday, December 21, 2020, at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon.

He was born December 18, 1938, in Springfield, Vermont to the late Clifford and Dorothy (Streeter) Taft. William worked for forty-six years at Cone-Blanchard as a supervisor where he met the love of his life, Charlotte Dow, and they were married in Brownsville in February of 1973. Together they raised six children.

William loved the outdoors and nature, spending many days hunting, fishing, and camping with his friends and family. He took great pride in his honeybee hives and was always willing to share his knowledge of the craft with those willing and eager to learn through mentoring and teaching seminars through the Vermont Bee Keeper's Association. In the summers, they would spend time at Ten Acre Campground on Lake Champlain enjoying time with his friends and fishing for salmon and lake trout. His favorite time of the year was fall, when it was time to harvest the summer's honey and hunt turkey and deer. He would spend time carefully preparing the game he harvested to make sure it was done right.

He was predeceased by his parents; wife, Charlotte Taft; two brothers, Clifford and Curtis Taft; and his special dogs, JR, Max, and Archy. He is survived by two sons, David Taft and James Taft and his wife, Leesa, all of Windsor; four daughters, Melany Peters of Bonneau, SC, Shari Taft of Windsor, Kim Paquette and her husband, Mike of Brunswick Springs, VT, and Kathy Smith of Windsor; two siblings, Robert Taft and Betty Knight of Florida; his Brittany Spaniel, George; many grandchildren, great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

A graveside service for both William and Charlotte will be held in the spring of 2021 in the Ascutney Cemetery in Windsor.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Windsor Coon Club, 2126 Hunthill Rd., Windsor, VT 05089.