Meet the Johnson-Taylor Funeral & Cremation Team

Since the very beginning, Johnson-Taylor Funeral & Cremation has been providing quality care to the Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte, FL community. Our funeral home staff are trained and qualified to provide excellent, compassionate care to every family we serve. We want to create a meaningful funeral service that properly honors your loved one. Our team accounts for every detail whether that be the song, flowers, or stationery you choose. We know your loved one was a one-of-a-kind person, so they deserve a one-of-a-kind funeral service that embodies their legacy.

 

Funeral Directors

Meet with one of our funeral directors to start discussing your options. Each funeral director has years of experience in the funeral profession under their belt, so you know you’re getting quality care. They will guide you through every step of the way and ensure that all your needs are met.

 

Other Staff Members

In addition to our talented funeral directors, we have other funeral home staff who make sure everything runs smoothly behind the scenes. They are here to make your loved one's funeral a peaceful day full of remembrance.

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Eric Johnson Owner/Funeral Director & Embalmer Eric@JohnsonTaylorFuneral.com

Eric Johnson is one of our funeral directors and received his degree in funeral services with honors from St. Petersburg College in 2010. Eric came to Larry Taylor Funeral and Cremation Services in 2009 while in college and he completed his internship under the leadership and supervision of Larry and Micah. He was born in Wisconsin and moved with his family to Southwest Michigan at the age of 14. Eric became a resident of Southwest Florida in 2004 for the same reasons that many of our community have come to our area, to escape the cold and snow. Introduced to the funeral business at an early age, he has a great appreciation for honoring life and serving families in this community. His expertise in creating meaningful celebrations of life has been quite impressive. He thinks outside the box and helps families celebrate the lives of their loved ones in very creative ways. Larry planned for Eric to partner with him as he reached retirement age and when he retired, wanted Eric to carry on the business and be there for our community in helping them to “celebrate a life well lived”. After the sudden death of our founder in April of 2019, Eric and his wife Carolyn began their journey of carrying on Larry’s legacy while creating their own.  On July 1st, 2019, Eric and Carolyn Purchased the funeral home from Marian and on September 4th, 2019, officially changed the name of the funeral home to Johnson-Taylor Funeral & Cremation.

Eric is a retired Airline Pilot as well as a Flight instructor and has become well known for his knowledge of antique clocks. Antiques such as clocks, coins, watches and cars are included in his wide range of hobbies. Some people say you cannot have too many hobbies…well, Eric is testing that theory. When Eric is not in the office, you can find him out and about in our community supporting local sports teams and charities, metal detecting, perusing antique shops, coin shops and cruising into car shows. He has been a Green Bay Packers fan since birth and enjoys spending time with his family rooting them on. He is married to Carolyn and lives in Punta Gorda. They have 6 wonderful children, Austin, Lauren, Ashton, Blake, Brendan and Eric II.

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Carolyn Johnson Owner/Office Manager Carolyn@JohnsonTaylorFuneral.com

Carolyn Johnson is our Office Manager having received her degree with honors from Florida SouthWestern State College with a BAS in Supervision and Management, minoring in Business Administration and Management.  She was born in Minnesota and raised in Missouri until enlisting in the Marine Corps in 1997.  After honorably serving as an Aircraft Rescue and Firefighter (ARFF) she relocated to Florida in 2002. Her passion and dedication to serving Veterans in the local community at the VA Healthcare facility for numerous years have driven her desire to join her husband Eric in carrying on Larry’s legacy.  Carolyn has extensive experience in office administration, veteran affairs, and has been consistently recognized for her exemplary customer service. 

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Lauren Elliott Event Planner/Administrative Assistant Lauren@johnsontaylorfuneral.com

Lauren Elliott is our Administrative Assistant and daughter to Eric and Carolyn. Lauren’s interest in the funeral business began with the passing of a close family member. Lauren grew up watching Larry, Micah and Eric work at the funeral home, but it was not until the passing of someone dear that she realized the impact family and friends can have on one another. She began her career getting her certification as a Wedding and Event planner. Her goal is to shine a light on the special moments, as well as, celebrate the life of those around us. Her compassion and understanding of family values will serve our community well. Lauren and her husband Keaton are parents to their son and daughter, and enjoy spending time with their family, outdoor activities, and playing with their dogs.

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Kim Paugh Pre-Planning Specialist Kim@johnsontaylorfuneral.com

Kim Paugh is our Pre-planning Specialist. She received her Associate Degree in Office Administration from Central Ohio Technical College, her Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from the Mount Vernon Nazarene University, and her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Argosy University. Before moving into the funeral profession, Kim spent more than 25 years providing outstanding customer service in the retail and insurance industries. She has taken her customer service skills to the next level by providing compassionate and informative care to families who desire to plan ahead for end-of-life needs. Kim enjoys helping families plan and prepare in advance for their funeral plans. Her wealth of experience as a funeral professional allows her to give the families she serves expert guidance and advice in all aspects of advance planning. Kim loves her husband Jeff, her family, and her fur babies, Romeo, Benji, and Hamlet. Her hobbies include baking, enjoying the outdoors, and spending as much time as possible poolside.   

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Larry Taylor (1961-2019)

Larry Taylor, our Founder, had been in the funeral business since 1980 and served the Charlotte County community until his death in April of 2019. He founded Larry Taylor Funeral and Cremation Services in 2000 with the goal of providing old fashioned service at affordable prices. Never one to stop moving forward, Larry sought out ways to better celebrate lives with innovative and personalized printing and pictorial tributes. This care and attention to each family's personal needs for celebrating their loved one's life earned him the respect of the community reflected in being named Best Funeral Home and Best Funeral Director 18 times since opening in 2000. Larry came to this community with his family in 1969 and was a member of First Baptist Church of Port Charlotte since then. He was very active in the community as a member Punta Gorda Kiwanis bringing many programs to Charlotte County in service to kids such as The Socks for Kids Project and Christmas at East (Elementary). He had been a proud member of the Tidewell Hospice and Palliative Care Community Advisory Counsel and co-chairman of their capital campaign when they expanded the Hospice House, a longtime member of His Four Southern Gospel Quartet, and was an umpire/trainer/evaluator for Little League thru college age baseball spending many years on committees with FHSAA, including being recognized as FHSAA Umpire of the Year for 2014 -15. Larry has left a great impact on our community, and we are committed to continuing his legacy.

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Micah Botts (1959-2022)

Micah Botts, as a funeral director for 40 years, had the opportunity to help plan the celebration of lives for thousands of families with the utmost care and compassion. He came to Larry Taylor Funeral and Cremation Services in 2002 and was an integral part of the success of the firm. Micah was born and raised in Florida and had been in Southwest Florida since 1986. He passed away unexpectedly in September of 2022.  Micah was a Florida State University and Tampa Bay Bucs fan for many years. When he wasn't in the office, you could find him on the various golf courses within the community. It was a lifelong passion of his, in fact he had been hitting the links since he was 7 years old. Micah was married to Dawn and lived in North Port. He has a son, Kyle, who lives in Colorado and is a Marine Corps Veteran.

Eric Johnson

Owner/Funeral Director & Embalmer
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Eric Johnson is one of our funeral directors and received his degree in funeral services with honors from St. Petersburg College in 2010. Eric came to Larry Taylor Funeral and Cremation Services in 2009 while in college and he completed his internship under the leadership and supervision of Larry and Micah. He was born in Wisconsin and moved with his family to Southwest Michigan at the age of 14. Eric became a resident of Southwest Florida in 2004 for the same reasons that many of our community have come to our area, to escape the cold and snow. Introduced to the funeral business at an early age, he has a great appreciation for honoring life and serving families in this community. His expertise in creating meaningful celebrations of life has been quite impressive. He thinks outside the box and helps families celebrate the lives of their loved ones in very creative ways. Larry planned for Eric to partner with him as he reached retirement age and when he retired, wanted Eric to carry on the business and be there for our community in helping them to “celebrate a life well lived”. After the sudden death of our founder in April of 2019, Eric and his wife Carolyn began their journey of carrying on Larry’s legacy while creating their own.  On July 1st, 2019, Eric and Carolyn Purchased the funeral home from Marian and on September 4th, 2019, officially changed the name of the funeral home to Johnson-Taylor Funeral & Cremation.

Eric is a retired Airline Pilot as well as a Flight instructor and has become well known for his knowledge of antique clocks. Antiques such as clocks, coins, watches and cars are included in his wide range of hobbies. Some people say you cannot have too many hobbies…well, Eric is testing that theory. When Eric is not in the office, you can find him out and about in our community supporting local sports teams and charities, metal detecting, perusing antique shops, coin shops and cruising into car shows. He has been a Green Bay Packers fan since birth and enjoys spending time with his family rooting them on. He is married to Carolyn and lives in Punta Gorda. They have 6 wonderful children, Austin, Lauren, Ashton, Blake, Brendan and Eric II.

Carolyn Johnson

Owner/Office Manager
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Carolyn Johnson is our Office Manager having received her degree with honors from Florida SouthWestern State College with a BAS in Supervision and Management, minoring in Business Administration and Management.  She was born in Minnesota and raised in Missouri until enlisting in the Marine Corps in 1997.  After honorably serving as an Aircraft Rescue and Firefighter (ARFF) she relocated to Florida in 2002. Her passion and dedication to serving Veterans in the local community at the VA Healthcare facility for numerous years have driven her desire to join her husband Eric in carrying on Larry’s legacy.  Carolyn has extensive experience in office administration, veteran affairs, and has been consistently recognized for her exemplary customer service. 

Lauren Elliott

Event Planner/Administrative Assistant
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Lauren Elliott is our Administrative Assistant and daughter to Eric and Carolyn. Lauren’s interest in the funeral business began with the passing of a close family member. Lauren grew up watching Larry, Micah and Eric work at the funeral home, but it was not until the passing of someone dear that she realized the impact family and friends can have on one another. She began her career getting her certification as a Wedding and Event planner. Her goal is to shine a light on the special moments, as well as, celebrate the life of those around us. Her compassion and understanding of family values will serve our community well. Lauren and her husband Keaton are parents to their son and daughter, and enjoy spending time with their family, outdoor activities, and playing with their dogs.

Kim Paugh

Pre-Planning Specialist
photo

Kim Paugh is our Pre-planning Specialist. She received her Associate Degree in Office Administration from Central Ohio Technical College, her Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from the Mount Vernon Nazarene University, and her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Argosy University. Before moving into the funeral profession, Kim spent more than 25 years providing outstanding customer service in the retail and insurance industries. She has taken her customer service skills to the next level by providing compassionate and informative care to families who desire to plan ahead for end-of-life needs. Kim enjoys helping families plan and prepare in advance for their funeral plans. Her wealth of experience as a funeral professional allows her to give the families she serves expert guidance and advice in all aspects of advance planning. Kim loves her husband Jeff, her family, and her fur babies, Romeo, Benji, and Hamlet. Her hobbies include baking, enjoying the outdoors, and spending as much time as possible poolside.   

Larry Taylor (1961-2019)

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Larry Taylor, our Founder, had been in the funeral business since 1980 and served the Charlotte County community until his death in April of 2019. He founded Larry Taylor Funeral and Cremation Services in 2000 with the goal of providing old fashioned service at affordable prices. Never one to stop moving forward, Larry sought out ways to better celebrate lives with innovative and personalized printing and pictorial tributes. This care and attention to each family's personal needs for celebrating their loved one's life earned him the respect of the community reflected in being named Best Funeral Home and Best Funeral Director 18 times since opening in 2000. Larry came to this community with his family in 1969 and was a member of First Baptist Church of Port Charlotte since then. He was very active in the community as a member Punta Gorda Kiwanis bringing many programs to Charlotte County in service to kids such as The Socks for Kids Project and Christmas at East (Elementary). He had been a proud member of the Tidewell Hospice and Palliative Care Community Advisory Counsel and co-chairman of their capital campaign when they expanded the Hospice House, a longtime member of His Four Southern Gospel Quartet, and was an umpire/trainer/evaluator for Little League thru college age baseball spending many years on committees with FHSAA, including being recognized as FHSAA Umpire of the Year for 2014 -15. Larry has left a great impact on our community, and we are committed to continuing his legacy.

Micah Botts (1959-2022)

photo

Micah Botts, as a funeral director for 40 years, had the opportunity to help plan the celebration of lives for thousands of families with the utmost care and compassion. He came to Larry Taylor Funeral and Cremation Services in 2002 and was an integral part of the success of the firm. Micah was born and raised in Florida and had been in Southwest Florida since 1986. He passed away unexpectedly in September of 2022.  Micah was a Florida State University and Tampa Bay Bucs fan for many years. When he wasn't in the office, you could find him on the various golf courses within the community. It was a lifelong passion of his, in fact he had been hitting the links since he was 7 years old. Micah was married to Dawn and lived in North Port. He has a son, Kyle, who lives in Colorado and is a Marine Corps Veteran.