The Life of Louis Taylor

Louis Edward Taylor lived thoroughly. He held back none of his colossal focus, brainpower, or willpower: he experienced living, not just life. He was born in Hobart, Oklahoma, in 1957 to Bill and Eleanor Taylor, parents who encouraged him to aim high and far. His journey was hard, and things didn't always work out how he hoped. Yet he never stopped trying: he persevered beyond what should have been possible. And he never stopped giving: his joy shone brightest when he helped someone else succeed.

He left it all on the field. Then he came back and did a little bit more.

His 66 years were too few, and we were looking forward to sharing so many things with him. Losing him will always be devastating. Still, we shared so much with him while we had him. And he shared even more with us.

Let's remember his life with gratitude.

Louis was born on September 25, 1957, in Hobart, Oklahoma, to Bill and Eleanor Taylor. They raised him in Enid, Oklahoma, where they experienced his prodigious work ethic and ambitions from an early age. In addition to playing varsity tennis and first trumpet in the band at Enid High School, he was up before sunrise to deliver the newspaper on his bike every morning. At the end of his route he liked to trade the last paper for a jelly donut. 

As a champion debater, he earned a Winston Churchill scholarship to attend Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, where he joined Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. While in college, he interned for the US Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, a salute to his heritage as a member of the Osage Nation. Next, he received his juris doctor degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 1982. Upon graduation, he joined Locke Purnell in Dallas, where he was made partner. 

Louis continued his career as corporate counsel for Leggett & Platt in Carthage, Missouri. Through frequent travel to represent the company in Washington, DC, he developed the relationships that would enable him to work on small business public policy, the passion that would define the rest of his career. 

In 1994, Louis was named chief counsel and staff director for the United States Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. He was instrumental in the enactment of several landmark policies that made it easier for Americans to start and grow a small business. He was the architect of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA), which passed the US Senate on a 100-0 vote. He also shepherded a comprehensive reauthorization of the Small Business Administration, a bipartisan feat that still has not been repeated 26 years later.

In 1998, Louis and his family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Louis became the kind of entrepreneur and small business owner he had worked so hard for in DC. In the early 2000s, a decade before the term “fintech” entered the national vernacular, Louis saw the potential to use software to automate pieces of the small business lending industry. The company he founded exists today as Novatraq, and he was still working on expanding access to capital for small businesses until the end. 

While his career was impressive and impactful, Louis’s biggest source of happiness was his family. First, his wife of 39 years, Stephanie. He took great pride in her talents as a teacher and looked forward to the moment she walked in the door after school each day. After raising two children, they finally had time to go on some of the adventures they always dreamed of. Their trips through nature in Alaska and Colorado and the old cities of Europe have blessed us with many photos featuring his trademark grin while he hovers over a gourmet meal or stands next to Stephanie in front of beautiful scenery. 

As much as he enjoyed his own achievements, nothing brought him more joy than helping others find their own success. This was true for his two sons more than anyone else - except he never wanted them to beat him on the golf course. He was constantly offering some piece of advice (which was not always wanted), and he made time to follow them around at their golf tournaments (sometimes into the trees). He was always a happy proofreader of essays, and he gleefully drilled them with practice for the school spelling bee. 

We could see the essence of Louis in everything he did. He never stopped trying, and he always believed a ‘win’ was on the horizon no matter how challenging the present moment became. He was a real perfectionist - even about having fun. He absorbed every detail, and those who knew him will know his thoughtfulness in arranging those details in some magical and unique way.