HARTLAND — Don Foster clearly remembers meeting Patty Talbot for the first time at the First Universalist Society Church in Hartland after services.
“She was talking about the fire and I couldn’t help but think, this is going to be a hero of mine because you can’t imagine going through that kind of tragedy and coming out of it with such a positive outlook on life and people,” recalled Foster, who became close friends with Talbot. “Had I not known what had happened, I would have viewed her as someone with an easy life.”
Talbot’s husband, David, and one of her beloved dogs died in an April 2007 fire that also destroyed the couple’s home and all their possessions. While tragedy can at times become a defining moment in someone’s life, Talbot, 68, at the time of the fire, was not about to let that happen.
Always seen by others as eternally optimistic and cheerful, Talbot maintained that outlook during those difficult times. She rebuilt the home to enjoy with her children, grandchildren and dogs, and continued her interests in so many different things as she had throughout her life. Talbot, who died Feb. 26 at age 82, also was not deterred by the effects of advancing age. In her later years, as her health and mobility declined, Talbot never lost her sense of wonder at the world or her fun-loving, adventurous side.
“She was always busy and always cheerful,” said Talbot’s daughter, Jennifer, who lives with her husband and two boys in Cambridge, Mass. “Even after Dad died, she kept going, kept doing things.”
Her longtime friend Helen Miller was not surprised Talbot stayed strong and positive.
“She had an inner strength and resilience that saw her through many difficult times,” said Miller, who traveled annually with Talbot to Perennial Pleasures, a nursery and cafe, in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. “She always carried on regardless. I loved her attitude to life; she lived it fully, embracing each day with interest.”
Toni Vendetti, who knew Talbot for more than 40 years, shared a lot of fun and interesting times with her, including a 2019 trip to The Eden Project in England, a large botanical garden. Vendetti remembers the enthusiasm her friend carried on the trip, despite needing a wheelchair to get around.
“It was Patty’s generosity that was so special to me; always encouraging me to go places that she could not, like the catwalk to the top of the biodomes at the Eden Project,” said Vendetti at a memorial service in June.
They laughed about labeling themselves “bar flies,” as dinner was not served until later in the evening in England so they sought out pub fare in the late afternoons. The friends also traveled to Holland to see spectacular displays of tulips as flowers were one of Talbot’s many loves in life.
“It was a magical journey made even more so by my cheery ‘oh, let’s do it,’ companion,” Vendetti said.
Talbot’s son, Dan, said his mother was not hesitant about trying something new.
“When she did something, she took it seriously,” said Dan, who lives with his fiance in the family home in Hartland. ”She certainly had her fears but fear of doing things was not one of them. She was clear about what she liked and didn’t like.”
Talbot was born in 1939 and raised in Ohio, the only child of Harry and Helen Roland Roberts. She excelled early on in music and became a gifted piano player with a beautiful voice as well as a champion speller, something she taught her children who had many friendly spelling challenges between them when growing up.
Talbot graduated with honors in music from Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania in 1961, and it was there she met David, who attended nearby Haverford College. They were married in 1963 and two years later, bought a home on 200 acres in Hartland. Though she was not raised in the farming life, Talbot adapted easily and was finally able to have animals, which were not allowed in her childhood. She and David began an herb and perennial farm with numerous varieties of day lilies, grew their own food and hosted interns.
Talbot later earned her master’s in the history of music from Harvard. Her musical talent was well-known in the Upper Valley where she taught choral music in many area schools, gave private piano lesson to adults for more than 50 years and was the music director at the First Universalist Society Church for close to a half century. She became music director at her church on Aug. 1, 1975 and remained in that position for 47 years.
Paul Sawyer, the minister at the First Universalist Society church, worked with Talbot for 16 years.
“She was just a remarkable person and one of the most optimistic people you could ever meet; just so full of life and energy, right to the end,” Sawyer said.
Talbot impressed Sawyer with her talent as a musician and dedication to the position, taking hardly any time off.
“She had her heart deeply in it,” Sawyer said. “… Patty had the confidence of a skilled musician but she was more interested in creating the experience together and in helping other people make music more than she was in being the star of the show.”
After the fire, Sawyer said her college alumni and others sent new music to replace what was lost.
“I reached out to different groups and was blown away by the response,” Sawyer said.
Talbot’s daughter, Jennifer, who came to love the same things her mother did — plants and music — owns a landscaping business today in Massachusetts. Though farm life could be hard at times having to milk cows and hay the fields, Jennifer said, “Mom, being an optimist, made it easier.”
“Animals, plants and music, it was an idyllic way to live,” Jennifer said.
Having music and singing in the house was another childhood joy for the Talbot children. Both Jennifer and Dan studied different instruments and Jennifer remembers when everyone gathered around the piano to sing while her mother played old favorites.
“It was such a gift to have music with instruments and singing,” Jennifer said. “The love of music and how it brings people together was a big part of who Mom was. For sure, Mom’s love of music had a big influence on me. It was really one of the wonderful things I got from Mom.”
Jennifer took piano lessons for 13 years and learned the Scottish fiddle as an adult. Her son, Toby, also has learned the fiddle. At Talbot’s memorial service, Jennifer and Toby played a duet.
“I was nervous at first but I realized it would be the perfect tribute to Mom for the two of us to play,” she said.
At the service, Toby, 12, spoke of his grandmother’s kind and loving nature; how she treated everyone she met like family and taught him so many things.
“She was always so supportive of everything, including my music,” Toby said.
Talbot interests were diverse — animals, music, travel, local book club and garden club, said Foster, Talbot’s friend.
“She was kind of like a renaissance person,” he said. “She had so many topics she loved and studied and knew about. It was fun. Mention a country and she knew the flowers that grew there.”
More than her love of music and her other passions, Talbot’s son, Dan, said his mom embraced people, no matter how she knew them and loved engaging in conversation about their lives and hers.
“A lesson I learned from her was to be kind to others and enjoy your life,” Dan said.
At the memorial service, Dan recalled a woman who arrived at the house a couple of months after his mother had died. Betty, a cashier at Jake’s Market in Quechee, where Talbot was a regular, brought treats for their dog, Bruno, and sweets for the family. Betty knew all about the Talbot family and their pets.
“I think it is a gift to have someone who loves you so much that they share your life with others in a way that makes them want to know you,” Dan said.
Talbot did have a “feisty” side, her son said, and one was wise to steer clear of her bad side, which could bring a “scowl and silent treatment.” But neither lasted long and Talbot’s kind, forgiving nature would quickly resurface.
Dan and Jennifer believe their mother’s sunny disposition and outlook on life was why she was able to accomplish so much.
“Mom knew how to get things done,” said Jennifer at the memorial service. “She was a wonderful organizer, capable of planning and managing all kinds of things, from classes she taught to the concerts she gave and trips to Europe she mapped out.’
The Talbot children, said Foster, are a reflection of their mother’s lifelong lessons of caring about and for others.
“Both children had been grieving as they were going through this loss and they are reaching out to me to make sure I am okay,” Foster said.
What has remained with Jennifer and Dan is seeing their mother never giving in or slowing down, even as her health declined. She studied French and Italian and continued to travel.
“She was not one to get down and always made the best of things,” Jennifer said. People remember her as always having a smile on her face. She was one of those people who spread joy.”
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com
