Doyle Earl Tallman

Doyle Earl Tallman passed away on October 2nd, 2026, surrounded by his wife and children, at the age of 79. He was born in Orange, CA to Frank and Corinne Tallman. He served his country as a River Rat in the Brown Water Navy, operating small patrol boats in the rivers of Vietnam. Returning home, he married the loving, beautiful and talented Penelope. After graduating from Colorado Christian University, they traveled to Brazil for Jungle Camp and then to the highlands of Papua New Guinea. Doyle worked in the printshop in Ukarumpa, printing New Testaments in the native languages of the many tribal groups and also as the beloved shop teacher for the missionary high school students. Returning to the States, Doyle and Penny continued to support Bible translation with the JAARS organization in Waxhaw, NC.

He read Lord of the Rings numerous times. He could recite the poems 'The Cremation of Sam McGee' and 'The Shooting of Dan McGrew' by Robert Service. He loved people, all people. Every gas station attendant he met was a brother or sister he was so happy to see. In his younger days he looked a bit like Paul Newman. He was a talented boat builder, spending thousands of hours researching, drawing, and creating. He loved the outdoors, backpacking for weeks in Yosemite and paddling or sailing his boats in the waters of NC. He listened to Simon and Garfunkel, The Mamas and the Papas and Mike Oldfield's 'Tubular Bells'. Keith Green was probably his favorite. He was an incredible sneezer, slowly stacking up to seven sonic explosions, forcing all conversation to wait out the barrage. Usually followed by a nose-blow like a biblical trumpet blast. He hitchhiked from southern California to Canada. He built beautiful mountain and hammered dulcimers. He was pretty good on the ukelele and was incredible on the harmonica. He carried one in a pocket in his later years and would pull it out randomly and play a hymn he'd been working out. As a first attempt at whittling, he carved an impossible "ball in a ball in a cage with a chain" out of a single piece of wood. He was patient with his kids, laughed with them and told them how proud he was of them. He loved the Walt Kelly comic Pogo, The Far Side, and Calvin and Hobbes. He read C.S. Lewis and Victor Frankel and John Piper. He often quoted Alf of Melmac. He was a deep thinker, sometimes struggling to bring all the intellectual pieces together, but his answer would always come back to "Just follow the Shepherd." He had a great singing voice. He never owned a tool, a knife or a machine that he didn't modify in some way. His favorite exclamations were 'Cowubunga!', 'Goodnight!', 'Shazam!' and of course 'Oh bow! Oh wow!' He told 'Not!' jokes with the delivery of a foghorn for decades after they had lost popularity. He made up a story about the adventures of 'Alfisio' with boats and pirates and told it to his kids at bedtime. He wasn't good at sports but he once headlined the front page of his school newspaper for being the first person to ride his bike to the top of saddleback mountain in California. He loved menudo and posole. He invented the drink 'Dos Amigos,' which is half Mexican beer and half orange juice, and he became the only person to ever enjoy it. Doyle was a kind man with an open heart. He forgave others happily knowing he needed others' forgiveness. He was funny, smart and very much his own creation but he always made a point to acknowledge his creator as the source of his gifts.

On the day of his passing, the medical staff reported that they asked if he was ready for general anesthesia and intubation before his surgery. His last words were, "Let 'er rip."

He is survived by his wife Penny, children Juanita, John, Keith and Lisa, grandchildren Kay, Rowan and Flynn, his brother Skip, sister-in-laws Kim, Martha and Debbie and brother-in-laws Butch and Mike. His nieces Stacy, Elizabeth, Mindy and Sarah and his nephew Jim. He also loved Penny's kitty, Lucky. He was preceded in death by his parents and beloved dog Harvey.

A Memorial will be held at Waxhaw Bible Church, 6810 Pleasant Grove Rd, Waxhaw, NC 28173, US, on October 18, 2026, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. All are welcome.

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