Michael Taylor OBITUARY

Michael Taylor OBITUARY

Rollins- Michael Taylor, Retired rancher, cosmetologist, state senator, and businessman Michael A. Taylor of Rollins, Montana, passed away on May 27, 2025. Born June 12, 1941, in Lewistown, Montana, to Charles and Virginia Nygren Taylor, he spent his youth in Judith Basin County with his brother Richard, hunting and fishing.

His first job was sweeping his grandparents’ barber shop in Hobson. He later worked summers on ranches, then moved to Wilmington, Ohio, after his parents’ divorce. He graduated high school, joined the National Guard, and completed training at his father’s cosmetology school. He went on to study in Paris and Brussels, opened salons, competed internationally, and was inducted into the Cosmetology Hall of Fame in 1980. In 1979, he shifted to beauty supply, building a successful chain.

Michael and his wife Janna later ran Twin Creek Ranch in Proctor, Montana, earning Grand Champion Ram titles in both Suffolk and Columbia breeds. Elected to the Montana Senate in 1996, he served through 2005, helping lower business taxes and streamline the state’s IT systems. He ran for U.S. Senate in 2002 and enjoyed traveling Montana and meeting people.

Michael turned hobbies into vocations. He wrote An Angel on My Montana Shoulder: Shampoo and Guns, a memoir of perseverance and success. A lifelong hunter and pilot, he won national and international sporting clay titles, with trophies displayed at the Polson Flathead Museum. He was inducted into the National Sporting Clay Association Hall of Fame in 2019. He climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Evans, and twice attempted Mt. McKinley.

A gifted amateur actor, he was known for portraying Theodore Roosevelt, including an appearance at the U.S. Park Service Convention in Washington, D.C., with help from Neal Lewing of the Port Polson Players.

Michael was preceded in death by his parents and brother Richard. He is survived by his wife Janna; sons Chris (Lacey) and Zachary; grandchildren Jacob, Ivy, Violet, Voltaire, and Zya; sister-in-law Janie; and nephew D.J. Taylor of Denver, a fourth-generation cosmetologist.

He will be buried privately in Philbrook Cemetery near Hobson. A celebration of life will take place June 28, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at Polson First Presbyterian Church. Memorials may be made to the Mission Valley Animal Shelter or Mission Valley Christian Academy. Messages of condolences may be shared with the family online at www.lakefuneralhomeandcremation.com.

Arrangements are under the care of The Lake Funeral Home and Crematory.