Mary Talbot Sumrall

Mary Talbot Sumrall, 83, passed away in Columbia, SC, on March 13, 2025. Born May 18, 1941, in Niagara Falls, New York, to Francis and Florence (O’Donoghue) Talbot, she graduated from Georgetown Visitation Junior College in 1961 and Niagara University in 1963. She met her beloved husband, Neal Boylston Sumrall, on a blind date and married him on April 29, 1967, at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Initially an elementary school teacher, she turned her attention towards building a family with him, first in Richmond, VA, later in Chattanooga, TN, and finally in Columbia, South Carolina. She was a devoted mother to their three daughters, who were their pride and joy.

She is preceded in death by her cherished husband of 52 years, Neal, her parents, Francis and Florence, her brother the Hon. Francis Farron Talbot, and sister Agatha Talbot Rathbun. Survivors include their three daughters and their families, Margaret (Brian) Van Horn of Mooresville, NC, Sarah (Dan) Quirk, of Columbia, SC, and Barbara (Eric) Sanders, of Arlington, VA, and 7 grandchildren: Eileen (Ashley) Van Horn of Wilson, NC, James (Madeline) Van Horn of Charlotte, NC, Mary Van Horn of Mooresville, NC, Connor and Patrick Quirk of Columbia, SC, and Michael and Caroline Sanders of Arlington, VA. She is also survived by her sister, Helen Talbot (Steve) Rubin of Monterey CA, close in-laws Jim Keith of Chesterton, IN, and Jane Sweeney Talbot of Mt. Pleasant, SC, as well as many nieces and nephews, cousins, and extended family with whom it gave her great pleasure to vacation frequently at Bethany Beach, DE, for the duration of her life.

Visitation will be from 5-7 pm on Monday, March 17, at Dunbar Funeral Home, 4219 Hard Scrabble Rd, Columbia, SC 29223. A Funeral Mass will take place Tuesday, March 18, 9:30 am at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 721 Polo Road, Columbia, SC 29223, followed by interment at Elmwood Cemetery, 501 Elmwood Ave, Columbia, SC 29201.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to her brother’s pancreatic cancer endowment using the given dropdown to support “Hollings Cancer Center - Hon Francis Talbot Endowment for Pancreatic Cancer” at https://fundraise.musc.edu/give/378834/#!/donation/checkout.