The Rev. Robert A. Taylor; Baptist Minister

The Rev. Robert A. (Tony) Taylor, a Baptist minister known for his work with troubled youth in Oxnard, has died of cancer. He was 40.

Taylor was the pastor of Pacificside Community Church in Oxnard and a longtime member of St. Paul’s Baptist Church, where he had organized counseling, music and sports programs for teen-agers.

“He felt that most minorities, in particular, had no male adult supervision,” said his brother-in-law, Gary Windom. “He felt that by having a really strong male role model that they could see success and a way to make their lives better.

“Tony was just a kid at heart.”

Born in Birmingham, Ala., Taylor moved to Oxnard with his family in January, 1964. After graduating from Oxnard High School and Ventura College, he served two years in the U.S. Army.

Taylor then returned to Ventura County and joined the Oxnard Police Department as a reserve officer. His uncle, Cecil Taylor, had served as the department’s first African-American sworn officer.

Taylor contemplated joining the department full time, but decided instead to enter a training program for ministers at St. Paul’s in Oxnard. After working as an associate pastor at a Baptist church in San Jose for four years, Taylor returned to Oxnard and joined Pacificside Community Church.

He is survived by his wife, Utoria; two sons, 17-year-old Robert A. Taylor Jr., and 15-year-old Jason Taylor; and his step-son, 9-year-old Kevin T. Brown.

Other survivors include his mother, Geraldine L. Taylor of Camarillo; his father and stepmother, Wallace A. and Sandra Taylor; and three siblings. His twin sister, Roberta Taylor, is deceased.

Services will be held Monday at 11 a.m. at St. Paul Baptist Church, 1354 South C St. Arrangements are being handled by Conrad Carroll Mortuary in Oxnard.