Drew S. Talbott, owner of a local construction company was also an accomplished Chesapeake Bay sailor, dies

Drew S. Talbott, owner of a local construction company who was also a competitive Chesapeake Bay sailor, died of a heart attack Sept. 8 he suffered aboard the Liquid Limit after completing a winning race. The longtime Anneslie resident was 58.

Mr. Talbott, a 20-year member of the Glenmar Sailing Association was also a member of the sailing crew of Liquid Limit which raced every Wednesday evening on the Chesapeake Bay. He was returning to their Middle River dock after winning a race when he had a heart attack.

After the sailboat landed, Mr. Talbott was transported to MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

“Drew was always cheerful and kind and he always had a a smile on his face,” said Andrew Mirabole, a longtime friend, who renovated two homes with Mr. Talbott. “He was very friendly, patient and never got rattled. In his line of work there is a lot of pressure from agents who could be nasty at times but he never hit back.”

Another longtime friend is Tim Whisted, a co-owner of Little Havana on Key Highway in Federal Hill, who knew not only Mr. Talbott but several of his children.

“He was a terribly kind person, " Mr. Whisted said. “He loved people, was constantly smiling, and didn’t have a mean bone in his body. He taught my wife golf and me duck hunting last winter. He’ll be sorely missed.”

Drew Sumner Talbott, son of William S. Talbott, a college educator, and Jean Talbott, a real estate appraiser and homemaker, was born in Baltimore and raised on Murdock Road in Rodgers Forge.

While a student at Towson High School, he met and fell in love with the former Marcia Allen, whom he married in 1987.

After graduating from high school in 1981, he began his college studies at Towson University, and then went to work in the construction industry. He later established his own residential construction company, completing many home renovations and home remodeling in the Baltimore metropolitan area over the last 32 years.

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“Known for his craftsmanship, problem solving, and an eye for design, he worked with his clients to turn their houses into their dream homes and a place that could be shared with their friends and family for many years,” according to a biographical profile that was submitted by Mr. Talbott’s family.

In addition to renovating his own Anneslie home for a growing family, he purchased rundown houses and enjoyed bringing them back to life with his various skills and creativity that “families and neighborhoods could be proud of,” according to the profile.

Mr. Talbott was also an understanding mentor to his employees.

Mr. Mirabole became acquainted with him through his wife, a sales support administrator for Coldwell Banker, where he was a Realtor.

”Drew was the go-to-guy for many Realtors in the area,” Mr. Mirabole wrote in an email. “He was always available for home inspections and termite repairs, and we had all the confidence the repairs would be reasonable and fair priced, done right and on time.”

The two men eventually established a business relationship.

“After working with Drew on real estate transactions for so many years we formed an informal partnership to buy, rehab and sell homes,” Mr. Mirabole wrote. “I had complete trust in his honesty and fairness so much so we did it on a handshake without a written contract.”

Kellie Langley, a Coldwell Banker Realtor, has been close friends with the Talbotts for more than 25 years. They also vacationed together.

“Drew did all of the repairs for my listings and buyers and he was working on one of my listings the day he passed away. His death is a huge loss,” Ms. Langley said. “He was one of the kindest people that I know. If you needed help, he’d drop what he was doing and be there. He was someone you could count on to do anything.”

Ms. Langley said he had an “affable personality and never complained.”

“I worked with Marcia and for eight years, and she and Drew were a wonderful couple,” said Liz Bement, a Coldwell Banker Realtor. “He always had a kind word for people and was always so upbeat. He was a very genuine person.”

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Marty Bement, who is married to Ms. Bement, is also in the construction business.

“We had two things in common, we were both in the construction business and we both liked sailing,” Mr. Bement said. “He was a very gentle person and just a nice guy.”

Ms. Langley added: “He had two loves, the first one was his family, and the second was sailing.”

“We did a sailing vacation in the Virgin Islands together and we even got stuck on a sandbar, but Drew said, ‘Don’t worry, everything will be all right’ and it was,” she said.

In addition to crewing on the Liquid Limit, Mr. Talbott owned and sailed his own boat, the Spirit, a Tartan 57, and enjoyed taking anyone who wanted to go on the water, and especially his wife and friends, to take in Chesapeake Bay sunsets.

When he tired of being on the surface, he donned his underwater gear and particularly liked exploring Caribbean reefs and marine sea life. Other pursuits included golfing at Pine Ridge or Clifton Park, waterfowl hunting, skiing and soccer. He also was at work restoring a classic 1959 vintage 356 Convertible D Porsche.

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A reliable neighbor, Mr. Talbott was the first person on the spot with his snow blower to clean his neighborhood or use his chain saw to cut up a fallen tree after a storm passed. He was a regular Saturday shopper at the Waverly Farmers Market and liked meeting friends frequently for a cocktail at Grand Cru in Belvedere Square.

Mr. Talbott bore more than a passing resemblance to former President George W. Bush, his wife said, and was forever being ribbed about it.

“He was good-natured about it and just laughed it off,” his wife said. “One Halloween, he dressed up in a suit and a red tie and went trick-or-treating. He really loved it because he was a people person and loved talking to people.”

Ms. Langley said: “Drew never turned down an invitation to a party, a drink or an adventure.”

He was a member of Ascension Lutheran Church in Towson.

A celebration-of-life gathering will be held at 5 p.m. Oct. 1 at Little Havana in Federal Hill.

In addition to his wife of 34 years, he is survived by his three sons, Matthew Talbott of Federal Hill, Ryan Talbott of Hampden and William Talbott of Anneslie; a daughter, Brittany Talbott of Federal Hill; his stepmother, Jane Talbott of Glen Arm; a brother, Randy Talbott of Parkville; and a sister, Dara Hicks of Woodberry.