John H Talbutt

John Talbutt passed away on January 3, 2018, at age 81. John was born July 7, 1936 in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he lived on a farm with his family until age 11. In his youth, he was instilled with a love of reading, an iron work ethic, and an empathic belief in justice and the defense of human dignity. He later graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he majored in Political Science. After his graduation, John enlisted in the Army and spent a year stationed in Germany, where he was the champion boxer of his unit. Upon his discharge, he moved to New York City, where he met the love of his life, Andrea Jacobs Talbutt, his wife of 53 years.

John's inclination towards equity and social justice motivated him to spend his life as a member of organizations that aided those in need and protected workers. He was a decades-long employee of the Human Resources Administration of the city of New York. He also was a founding member of Social Service Employees Union Local 371, to which he gave over 50 years of service. John was a devoted activist. His honeymoon was spent traveling from subway station to subway station, spray-painting advertisements for an upcoming protest of racist hiring practices at the New York World's Fair. While serving as the director of a men's shelter, he worked to make sure that no food purchased by the New York City shelter system was imported from apartheid South Africa. He was a lifelong defender of economic and racial equality.

John was many things - a renaissance man. He was an intellectual. A reader and deep thinker. An activist. He was a card shark. A chess virtuoso. A fisherman. A mushroom hunter. A skeptic. He was a loving husband, brother, cousin, father, and grandfather, and a cherished colleague. Beside his beloved wife, Andrea, John is survived by his children Jesse Talbutt of Elmsford and Julie Talbutt and her husband Ethan Cruze of Providence, Rhode Island; as well as his sister Julia Talbutt of Wilmington, North Carolina and grandchildren Nate Talbutt and Phoebe Cruze. He will be dearly missed.

A memorial service will be held at 125 Barclay Street in New York City on Thursday, March 1 at 6:30 P.M.