Sterrett Tom Talbot

Tom is survived by his wife, Peggy (Margaret Ann) of 45 years in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, his daughters Carlisle Elaine Talbot of Miami Beach, FL, Holly Talbot Gilster (Thomas Baldwin) of Cincinnati, OH, Cynthia Lauren Talbot (Paul Hankins) of Miami, FL, his son Hunter Harrison Talbot of Sarasota, FL, his stepsons Gregory Nolin of Ft. Lauderdale, FL and Gary Nolin of Miami, FL, and granddaughters Alexsandra (Sandy) Cynthia Ellis and Abigail Elizabeth Gilster.

Tom was born on August 6, 1924, in Dayton, Ohio, to parents Sterrett Hunter Talbot and Laura Belle Talbot. His parents, brother Jack Talbot and sister Jane Ann Talbot Dillard preceded him in death. After attending the University of Dayton for a year, he enlisted in the US Army and served in WWII as a radio operator. After his honorable discharge in 1946, he graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1949 with a degree in business and from The Ohio State University with a Master’s in Business Administration in 1950. He was active in Beta Theta Pi Fraternity and as an athletic team manager for the Ohio Wesleyan football team. He married Barbara Jean Ludwig in November 1950, and the couple had four children. After working for IBM in Dayton, Ohio for a year, he and Barbara moved to Coral Gables, Florida, where he and his father operated their family business – an award-winning Shell station in Coral Gables at the corner of Ponce de Leon Blvd and Bird Road. He began attending night school for pre-med classes in 1954 and moved to Cincinnati for medical school in 1956. He graduated from University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in June 1960 and returned to South Florida for internship at Jackson Memorial Hospital, and then opened a medical practice in 1961. As a traditional family doctor, he delivered babies and made house calls well into the 1980s. He was one of the initial Florida physicians to be board-certified in Family Practice in 1970, and he served patients in South Florida until his retirement in 1991. Long before doctors focused on wellness, he was known for warning his patients, friends, family and even strangers of the dangers of smoking cigarettes, overeating, drinking alcohol and not getting enough exercise.

In 1977, Tom married Peggy Roggenstein Nolin, whom he always described as the great love of his life. He and Peggy traveled all over the United States, Europe and the Caribbean, often on cruises for which he served as the ship’s doctor. He loved growing fruit at his home in Miami, playing tennis and golf, boating, flying, travel, dancing, hiking, backpacking and camping, and both water and snow skiing with Peggy, which led to a second home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. He loved being constantly active, whether in Florida or Colorado, and was always up for a bike ride around the neighborhood, one more ski run straight down Mt. Werner, or one more round of golf, especially after he hit a hole in one when he was 89.

Tom was a typical Greatest Generation guy who talked only about the good parts of his Army service – dancing all night with pretty girls while on leave from Fort Dix, NJ, swimming in the Mediterranean while stationed in North Africa, and that it was cool to send coded messages to statesmen and Army generals.

He was smart, strong-minded, energetic and action-oriented, preferring to focus on getting things done and advising others to make the most of life rather than explore questioning the meaning of life. Tom would boil philosophy down to basics: love well, eat well, do not smoke, don’t drink (at least too much).

Throughout his life, Tom expressed a wonderfully childlike enthusiasm for his favorite people and things: his lovely wife, children, grandchildren and friends, his current favorite audiovisual gadget (and hundreds held that honor at one time or another), going fast (on a boat, down a mountain, or even on a golf cart). He loved butter pecan ice cream, bananas, jellybeans, and nuts, newly found golf balls, fireworks, freshly squeezed orange juice, and any party.

A memorial service is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 23, 2022, at Christ Church United Methodist Church, 4845 NE 25th Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308 with a reception to follow at Coral Ridge Country Club, 3801 Bayview Drive, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 33308. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Tom’s life. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes any donations to the American Cancer Society, a charity Tom supported throughout his life.