Georgetown:

Walter Lee Talbot died peacefully on June 12, 2023, at his home in Georgetown. Lee was born on November 3, 1945, in Atlanta, Georgia, to Walter Lawrence and Ruby Hodges Talbot, then moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, at the age of 3 months. He graduated from Garringer High School and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 1968. He married Joyce "Joy" Futrell in August of 1968 and began a 40-year career with Merrill Lynch where he mentored up-and-coming young brokers, sharing his time and knowledge as they began their financial careers. He retired as a Senior Vice President and went on to pursue his passion for sailing, taking his 56-foot Hinckley Ketch from Maine to the Caribbean and from the Azores to the Mediterranean, with Joy signing on to any adventure he created. Lee enjoyed sharing his passion with friends who loved to sail with him to ports all over the world.

Lee's love for the coast brought him and Joy to Georgetown, South Carolina, in 2004. He found another outlet for his love of all things nautical by joining the South Carolina Maritime Museum where he used his background in finance to help secure USDA funding for museum projects. He served as the Treasurer of the Maritime Museum board and loved helping with the Youth Sailing Program – teaching and watching children develop a love for sailing. Lee was a member of Georgetown Presbyterian Church where he was an elder and chairman of the Worship Committee. He will be remembered for many things, including his generosity of time, and sharing of his many talents with his church and other local organizations, but mostly for his wonderful smile, his truly contagious laugh, and his love and devotion to his family -- especially his twin granddaughters.

Lee is survived by the love of his life for 55 years, Joy; his son, Greg (Johanna); his granddaughters, Eagan Talbot and Kearny Talbot; his brother, Everett (Katrinka); his sister-in-law, Judy; his nephew, Brett Talbot (Teresa); and his nieces Jennifer Trakimowitz (Paul) and Michelle Talbot. He is preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Lawrence. Lee leaves countless friends met through years of sailing and those from Charlotte and his beloved Georgetown, which he genuinely thought of as home.

A memorial service will be held for Lee Talbot at 11:00 am, Saturday, July 15, 2023, at Georgetown Presbyterian Church, 558 Black River Road, Georgetown, South Carolina. A reception will follow at the South Carolina Maritime Museum, 729 Front Street, Georgetown, South Carolina.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the South Carolina Maritime Museum, 729 Front St. Georgetown, South Carolina 29440; to Georgetown Presbyterian Church, 558 Black River Road, Georgetown, South Carolina 29440; or to Tidelands Community Hospice, 2591 North Fraser Street, Georgetown, South Carolina 29440.

Funeral arrangements are entrusted to the Georgetown Chapel of Mayer-Ethridge Funeral Home and Crematory.