Martha Talbot

Martha Jo Talbot, 72, died on Tuesday, April 3, 2018.Born Martha Jo Stinson to Joyce (Chubby) and Lucille Stinson on August 13, 1945 in Pittsburg, Texas. Martha Jo graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in 1963 and earned both a Bachelors and Masters from East Texas State University. In college, she served as the president of Alpha Delta Pi.She retired from Mesquite Independent School District in 2011 after forty-five years in public education, including serving as Principal of both Wilkinson Middle School and West Mesquite High School.In 2007, she moved to a position working with MISD’s Personnel Services and Staff Development, where she provided assistance and support for first-year teachers and supervised student teachers in the district. After she retired, she continued to work with Texas A & M University, Texas A & M Commerce, University of Texas at Dallas, as well as other surrounding universities supervising student teachers. Talbot’s impact on and influence to the community are profound, including memberships in Mesquite Creative Arts, Mesquite Youth Council Board, Mesquite Panhellenic, Mesquite Chamber of Commerce, Mesquite Education Board, Mesquite Education Association, and the MEA Presidents Council. Talbot was an integral part of two school board elections and worked on several campaigns in the community. In 2016, she ran for trustee on the Dallas County Community College Board, and her favorite part was meeting people at the polls. A member of the Book Lore Book Club, Martha Jo loved to read and never left a book unfinished. She was also a member of a local Bible Study Group, where she always brought the best and most decorated dishes. Martha Jo enjoyed discovering new restaurants; visiting McKinney and Salado; shopping for housewares, jewelry, and bright clothes; the annual trips with her high school friends; sending everyone the perfect greeting card with her beautiful words inside; decorating her house for Halloween and Christmas; making unique desserts; and watching the Texas Rangers, the Dallas Cowboys, and any college football game. She is survived by her daughter, Jill Talbot, of Denton, Texas; her stepson, Rodney Talbot, of Denton, Texas; her three grandchildren, Indie Talbot, Lance Talbot, and Randi Talbot. She was preceded in death by her husband of forty-seven years, Rusty Talbot, along with their dogs, Satch and Raley. A funeral service will be held at First United Methodist Church in Mesquite, Texas at 300 North Galloway on April 7, 2018 at 1:00 pm with visitation at noon. The burial will follow at Ridgeview Memorial Park in Allen, Texas.In lieu of flowers, she asked that contributions be made to West Mesquite High School (Martha Jo Talbot Fund) for a scholarship in her name.