Daniel W. Talbott

It is with great sadness that we announce the unexpected passing of Daniel W. (Dan) Talbott on Tuesday, September 20, 2022, in Plano Texas.  He was born on December 10, 1954, in Parsons, Kansas, the son of William F. and Ellen M. Talbott.  He spent the first years of his life on the family farm in Kansas before moving with his family to Denison, Texas in 1967.  He attended Denison High School where he graduated in 1972.  He went on to earn his Associates Degree from Grayson College in 1974 before attending the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas in Austin where he graduated with a B.A. in Business Administration in 1976.  While in Austin, he served as the legal aid for Rep. Ben Munson of Denison for 2 years.

Dan traveled all around the world in his work environment but loved to travel with his family, especially to Hawaii, Grand Cayman and London.  He was an enthusiastic supporter of the Texas Longhorns football and baseball teams.

He was a faithful member of Custer Road United Methodist Church for 37 years, serving in several capacities within the church throughout that time. He had been serving as the CAT team leader for security and safety for the last several years.

Dan was active in the Scouts BSA program for over 32 years where he served in the positions of Troop Assistant Scoutmaster, Troop Committee Chair, District Committee Training Chair, Unit Commissioner and Assistant District Commissioner. He was also an NRA certified shooting instructor for BSA and was a Brotherhood member of Order of the Arrow.  He earned the District Award of Merit among many other recognitions at the district and council levels. Throughout his scouting tenure Dan was privileged to serve as a mentor for both adults and youth scout members alike. He was so proud to claim 3 Eagles in his family with both his sons and his oldest grandson earning that prestigious rank.

Over his lifetime Dan worked for Electronic Data Systems, IBM and Hewlett Packard.  He worked over the years in many leadership positions within these companies, some of which were,  IT Outsourcing, Business Alliances, Management Services, IT Services Delivery, Executive Management and was a Consulting expert.  Dan was currently working on a new security suite and was active in cyber security as a member of the Cyber Future Foundation and Cyber Defense Alliance as well as the North Texas Crime Commission.

Dan was featured in a Fast Company cover story on his winning the Sales Leadership Award for securing the Procter & Gamble Corp. account during his time with EDS and was referenced as Best Practice in the “Excellence in Business Communications” 2007 college textbook by Prentice-Hall.  Dan was currently serving on the Executive Boards of Cyber Future Foundation, Core Tech and IBPSA.

Having met in high school, Dan married Catherine (Cathy) Howard on February 12, 1977, in Denison, Texas.  During their marriage they made their home in Wheeling, Illinois; Downingtown, Pennsylvania; Caldwell, New Jersey and finally in Plano, Texas where they have lived for 37 years.

Dan and Cathy were married for 45 years.  He is survived by his wife Cathy; his sons Benjamin and his wife Alexis, Justin and his wife Katie; and his daughters Caitlin and Lauren. He was so proud of all his children and especially of his six grandchildren, Tyler, Layla, Caroline, Clark, Wyatt and Charlotte.  They were the Shining Stars in his world.  He never tired of watching them play baseball, soccer, run track or dance.  He truly loved being their Papa.   He is also survived by his three brothers and their wives David and Julia, Jonathan and Beverly and Timothy and Beverly along with many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Dan touched the lives of so many people around the world and to know him was to have a friend that you could call on for anything and would be there if assistance was ever needed.  Once he met you, you were a part of his family.  He would greet you with a big smile and a “hey kid” whether you were 3 or 83.  You always got a bear hug as well!

A celebration of Dan’s life will be held at Custer Road United Methodist Church, 6601 Custer Road, Plano, Texas on Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. in the church sanctuary.  He will be laid to rest at a private ceremony at the church.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Friday Night Friends or to Bed Start at Custer Road United Methodist Church.