American flags lined the street leading to North Ogden City's municipal center where a small cluster of flowers were laid in memory of Mayor Brent Taylor, a major in the National Guard killed Saturday in an insider attack in Kabul, Afghanistan.

A similar display of flags was set outside the Taylor family's home, where friends and family gathered with Taylor's wife, Jennie, and the couple's seven children, ages 11 months up to 13 years.

"When I asked Jennie what she would like me to say when we came out, she said that there is heartache but no regret," said Taylor's sister-in-law Kristy Pack, who spoke to members of the media on behalf of the family.

"It would be hard to find a family that loves our country more than this family," Pack said, "and that has the desire to serve our country more than this family."

Political leaders, colleagues, friends and family are remembering Taylor, 39, as a man of service and principle, who valued transparency and sought to move beyond the common divisions in society.

Oscar Mata, a political consultant and former executive director of the Weber County Democratic Party, said the news of Taylor's death was "heartbreaking." Taylor was a "proud Republican," Mata said, but also someone with a natural ability and interest in bringing people together to serve the broader community.

"He just had a way of helping people see the things that they have in common rather than the things they disagree with," Mata said. "It was a skill that was just amazing."

Mata and Taylor co-chaired Weber County Forward, a group pushing for a restructure of the county's three-member commission governance model.

While Taylor had never discussed his future ambitions with Mata, his name was often listed among the potential candidates for higher office. And Mata said he had hoped Taylor would run to be the county's mayor if their Weber County Forward effort was successful.