William “Bill” Taylor

William “Bill” Joe Taylor was born August 3, 1964 to Richard and Janis (Linkey) Taylor in Creston, IA. Bill was united in marriage to Joni Rychnovsky on October 7, 1989. They were blessed with two children: Colby and Jenna, who were his pride and joy.
Bill graduated from Diagonal High School in 1982. He attended Northwest Missouri State for Business Management and The University of Missouri for a Master’s in Education.
Bill started working at Southwestern Iowa Community College (SWCC) in 1991 as an instructor in office occupations and an assistant men’s basketball coach. He was promoted to Head Men’s Basketball Coach in 1993. He then became the Small Business Development Director through the college. In 2002, he became the Dean of Students and most recently was the Vice President of Instruction at SWCC.
His years at SWCC were highlighted by his coaching. In the 1998-1999 season, he coached the team to a 7th place finish in the national tournament, the first national tournament appearance in SWCC Men’s Basketball history. In 2001, Bill stepped away from collegiate coaching to raise and coach his own kids, as well as countless other children in the community. He greatly enjoyed supporting and watching Colby and Jenna from grade school through high school and into their college careers.
Bill was a member of the Elk’s Lodge, the Midwest Opportunities Board of Directors, various professional and educational organizations, and Holy Spirit Parish.
Bill passed away at MercyOne in Des Moines, IA with his family by his side on November 7, 2019. He was preceded in death by his father, Richard Taylor; sister-in-law, Judy Rychnovsky; brother-in-law, Kevin Eblen; and his maternal and paternal grandparents.
Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Joni of Creston; son, Colby (special friend Rachael Barnette) of West Des Moines; daughter, Jenna, attending Simpson College in Indianola, IA; mother, Janis of Diagonal, IA; 3 brothers: Mike (Jean Ann) of Creston, Scott (Niky) of Waukee, IA, Todd (Jennifer) of Parkville, MO; mother-in-law and father-in-law, Marilyn and Jim Rychnovsky of Prescott, IA; brother-in-law, Wayne (Jane) Rychnovsky of Corning, IA; 2 sisters-in-law: Jayne Braun (Scot Mueller) of West Des Moines, IA and Jacquie Eblen of Creston; numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.
Bill has touched countless lives through coaching, mentoring and teaching. The life lessons he shared continue to live both on and off the court.