Obituary of E. H. Taylor Hay III

Edmund Haines Taylor Hay III died April 23, 2026, within days of his 74th birthday. The cause of death was renal failure. Taylor lived for many years at the renowned intentional ecovillage, The Farm, Summertown, Tennessee. With his ex-wife, Donna, they owned The Farm Store, which was the heart of the commune. It is said that Taylor had the biggest positive impact on the youth when he lived there. In the 1970’s with farm members, he traveled to The Bronx, New York where they set up an ambulance service. He spent time on their Florida commune, which shipped organic produce around the country. He loved the camaraderie the communities gave him. Taylor developed carpentry skills at the commune, later helping in the construction of his father’s all wood, octagon home that was featured in the Louisville Today magazine. He also became an adept mechanic enjoying his work on the farm “motor pool". Taylor graduated from Kentucky Country Day School, where he was known to be academically gifted. He attended Clark University, MA, leaving to travel through India. Returning to Louisville, he became a student at the Kentucky School of Art, where he studied metalsmithing. His deep love of nature and animals found Taylor and Donna raising a menagerie of orphan racoons, squirrels, dogs and more. He later became a volunteer at the Kentucky Humane Society, working with the most challenging dogs. Taylor possessed a truly independent spirit, known for his great wit and humor. Always a voracious reader, he could be challenged to define any word in the dictionary, however, there was not a word too obscure for him to be stumped. Thriving on knowledge, he used those skills to engage in challenging debates or marathon games of backgammon and chess. Taylor was the son of the late Alice Summers Hay and E. H. Taylor Hay, Jr. He is survived by his sisters Shelley Hay (Tom Neff) and Diane Beckman (David) as well as numerous half-siblings, uncles, nieces, nephews, great-nieces, nephews and cousins. There will be a private family burial in Frankfort, Kentucky. Expressions of sympathy may be made to the Kentucky Humane Society.