Wayne Sherman Talbott

Wayne Sherman Talbott passed away peacefully on January 13, 2023.  Wayne was born on July 22, 1938, in Tabler, WV to parents Sherman and Zada Talbott. 

His family moved to Indian Head, MD when he was in elementary school.  Wayne was known for his strong work ethic even when he was young.  His first job was delivering The Evening Star newspaper, which sold for 5 cents.  He was a hard worker, which earned him a larger paper route, so he used his earnings to buy a bike, a red Schwinn.  He also mowed the yards of his neighbors, free of charge.  His mower was an old-fashioned reel type push mower.  He took care as he moved from one lawn to the other, turning the mower upside down to avoid cutting the rocks in between lawns. He credited his kindness and work ethic to his parents, proclaiming “that is how he was raised”. 

He graduated from Lackey High School in 1956.  After high school, he spent two years in the Army, two years in the Maryland State Police Department, and 20 years in the Navy.  He served in Vietnam as a boatsman.  He drove the rescue boat to pick up the wounded soldiers from the shore to get them safely to the hospital boat.  He had a long scar on his knee from a shrapnel hit in Vietnam.  As his career in the Navy progressed, he continued to serve in rescue as a navy diver, focusing on saving pilots shot down or ejected over the water.   His time in the Navy also included serving aboard the USS Kitty Hawk.  He was an avionics technician; he maintained and repaired the electronic equipment on helicopters and airplanes.  He was proud to have served his country, but he also liked to joke so he told us that Navy stands for “Never Again Volunteer Yourself”.  He made lifelong friendships including friends from Lackey and his time in the military. 

His family was very important to him.  He helped his kids with their math homework, took them on road trips, played board and card games with them, and even jumped rope with them when they were little.  When grandkids came along, he picked them up from school when they were sick, attended their sports events, and most importantly gave them his attention.  He had some favorite sayings, one of which was to refer to himself as “Your dear sweet loveable Dad”, when talking to his kids. He was right, those words describe him well.

Wayne enjoyed living in Southern Maryland.  He was a member of the Indian Head Moose Lodge, the Elks lodge, and the Masonic lodge.  The community at the Indian Head Moose Lodge was very important to him.  He has served as both Governor and Administrator of the Moose. He was proud of the good done by those organizations and to be a part of it.  He enjoyed going to the Moose Lodge, The Lunch Box Grill, and taking walks at the Village Green in Indian Head almost daily during retirement. 

Although he was modest about it, he was very good at games and puzzles.  Dart and pool league teams wanted him on their team.  He was also excellent at horseshoes and cornhole.  He enjoyed golf and worked for a time at the Hawthorne Country Club golf course during retirement. He enjoyed crossword puzzles and Sudoku.  He was capable of finishing an entire book of Sudoku puzzles in one day. 

He will be remembered and missed for his wit, intelligence, and kindness.  Another funny saying of his was that “old ladies, babies, and dogs love him”.  The truth is that everybody loved Wayne. 

He is predeceased by his wife Jane.  He is survived by his three children Jim Talbott (Rita), David Talbott (Shellie), and Yvonne Scoggins (Geoff), and step-children Linda Adams (Steve), Polly Shontz (JL), and Charlie Coleman (Anthony).  He is survived by his grandchildren Tiffany Bayliss-Overton, Codi Espanol (Jonathon), Connie Gonzalez (Marco), Donald Talbott, Nancy Faye Talbott, Rachel Trise (Stephen), Reese Scoggins, Julia Scoggins, Laura Gilroy (Matt), Randy Shontz (Gabby), and Eliza Downing (John). He also has 11 great-grandchildren.  He is survived by his sister Zada Kahn (Les) and his first wife Nancy Hobson.  He is predeceased by his step-daughter Nancy Coleman, his sister Carlita Speake (Russell), and brother Billy Talbott.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations are made to the Moose Lodge.

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