WILLIAMSBURG – On a cold January night in 2019, York County resident Mary Brown received news that no mother ever wants to hear. Her son, Ryan Philip Taylor, had died of a drug overdose.
“We were dealt with the biggest blow of our life,” Brown said. “You don’t even know how to navigate through that.”
Taylor grew up in Yorktown and attended Tabb High School. According to his mother, he was an active and happy child who was passionate about golf and skateboarding.
“I know everyone says it about their kids, but he was just such a blessing to our family,” she said. “He was a joy to raise.”
Taylor struggled with depression and anxiety as a teenager, but his addiction to drugs didn’t take hold until he arrived on campus at Radford University.
“It was as simple as some of the guys on the freshman hall having Xanax,” said Brown. “He didn’t think it was that bad, then it grew into something bigger.”
After discovering Taylor’s addiction, his parents did everything they could to help him recover.
“We brought him home and eventually he went to rehab three different times,” Brown said. “We were going to put everything we could into making sure he got better.”
Despite his family’s efforts, Taylor died of an accidental drug overdose in January 2019. Now his family is determined to ensure his name lives on.
This year marks the seventh Ryan Taylor Golf Tournament, which raises money for Faith Recovery, a faith-based addiction recovery program in Williamsburg. All proceeds benefit the organization.
Brown knows her son would have been proud of the effort to fight addiction — but for her, it’s also become a source of healing.
“We do it every year around his birthday. All the other holidays, you never know what you’re going to be feeling, but I always know what I’m going to be doing around his birthday,” Brown said. “I’m going to be around a bunch of golfers and people that care about the addiction community.”
The tournament will be held Sept. 4 at Kingsmill Resort’s River Course. Check-in opens at 7:30 a.m., with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m., followed by an awards ceremony and meal at 3 p.m.
Individual registration costs $165, and a foursome costs $650. Sponsorship packages range from $250 to $7,500, with options including Tee Box, Cart, Swag Bag and Title sponsorships.
For more information, visit the tournament’s website.
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