VOORHEESVILLE — Thomas P. Talbot, a loving husband and former head clerk with the state comptroller’s office, died on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015. He was 86.

“We had a wonderful life,” said his wife, Phyllis Talbot. “He was a wonderful husband.”

Mr. Talbot was born in Troy to Anna Byer and Joseph F. Talbot Sr. He graduated from Catholic Central High School and Siena College. He served in the United States Army from 1946 to 1948.

The Talbots were married for 55 years.

“We had a beautiful wedding in 1959 at his church in Troy — St. Michael’s Church,” Mrs. Talbot said. Mr. Talbot later became a communicant of St. Matthew’s Church in Voorheesville.

“We lived in the same house since 1961 in Voorheesville, and he never wanted to move. It’s just a simple ranch. We could have gotten a bigger one, but he never wanted to move. He said, ‘Why would you want to move?’ He loved it. He loved it here. It was our home,” Mrs. Talbot said.

“We took many trips together over the years,” she said.

The Talbots enjoyed traveling to Lake George and Lake Placid. They made several trips to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands.

“That was my favorite island,” Mrs. Talbot recalled. “It was beautiful. We enjoyed sitting by the pool and at the beach.”

Mr. Talbot enjoyed watching sports, and was a fan of both the New York Giants and the New York Yankees.

“He watched all games on TV,” Mrs. Talbot said. “He just loved that. I’ve had 55 years of watching games. I would just read my newspaper while he watched the games. That was never a problem.”

Mr. Talbot worked for the New York State Comptrollers Office for 37 years, and retired as a head account clerk in 1987.

He was sick for the last 10 years with both Alzheimer’s disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Mr. Talbot entered the Daughters of Sarah Nursing Center in Albany for his final two days, Mrs. Talbot said, on the advice of a visiting nurse practitioner.

 “I took care of him all those 10 years, myself,” said Mrs. Talbot. “I did it because I loved him so much.”

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In addition to his wife, Phyllis Willsie Talbot, Mr.Talbot is survived by his sister-in law, Shirley Talbot; his brother-in-law, Glen Willsie, and his wife, Shirley; and several nieces and nephews.

Mr. Talbot’s siblings, Joseph F. Talbot Jr.; Mary Talbot Peer; and Patrick Talbot died before him.

A funeral Mass was celebrated on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at St. Matthew’s Church, in Voorheesville. Burial will be in the spring in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Berne. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Matthew’s Church.

 
— Jo E. Prout