Douglas Raymond Talbot

Douglas Raymond Talbot entered peacefully into eternal rest on Sunday, December 7, 2014. He was 77 years of age. Mr. Talbot was born on July 14, 1937 in Bay St. Louis, MS and resided the majority of his life in River Ridge, LA. He was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond Lionel and Anastasia Cahill Talbot. He is survived by his beloved wife of 50 years, Judith Berkman Talbot, his two sons and their wives, Mark Douglas (Elizabeth Barkerding) and Michael Kirk (Julie Strong) Talbot. He is also survived by his 4 loving grandchildren, Anastasia Elizabeth, Michael Sim, Elizabeth Baldwin and Patrick Cahill Talbot, who all cherished their beloved "Poppy." A graduate of St. Stanislaus College in Bay St. Louis, MS, he attended LSU, and graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a degree in marketing. He was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order. Mr. Talbot also served in the United States Army Reserves and was on Active Duty from 1960 to 1961. Mr. Talbot was an avid LSU and Saints fan, and an outdoorsman who hunted and fished, as well as played golf and tennis. He was a member of Metairie Country Club, Chateau Country Club and Colonial Country Club. He was also a member of several Carnival organizations. Mr. Talbot was a businessman who was active in many fields. Perhaps the best known one being Lucky Dogs, the iconic hot dogs of the French Quarter. In 1996, he was named "Entrepreneur of the Year" for his work in making Lucky Dogs one of the outstanding businesses in New Orleans. Mr. Talbot was the epitome of a Lucky Dog. Six times he was diagnosed with cancer, and he turned what most consider a horrific finding into a positive experience. Each time it reminded him of life's brevity and the importance of giving. Shortly after his diagnosis of lymphoma (cancer of the lymph system) his insurance premiums skyrocketed. Although he was fortunate enough to manage the greatly inflated rates, he soon learned of others who were not so fortunate. Angry about this injustice, he formed an organization called "Coalition for Realistic Insurance". This group lobbied for legislation to protect Louisianians from being victimized by insurance companies. The Coalition stormed the Capitol and the appropriate legislation was passed. For the next three years, Mr. Talbot served as vice-chairman of the Louisiana High Risk Pool for Uninsurables to see the project off to a solid start. He then served three years as chairman to continue to guide the project on its course. Due to his proactive stance, he was awarded the 1993 Louisiana Consumer League Award for Consumer Health Care needs. Mr. Talbot's dedication to the community was also noticed by other organizations. In 1994, he received the Young Leadership Council's Role Model Award. In 1995, he received the St. Elizabeth Guild Volunteer Activist Award; and in 1996, he was voted into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame. He was also the recipient of an award from The LSU Foundation LSU Health Sciences Center for his dedicated work as a member of the Board of Directors of East Jefferson General Hospital. Mr. Talbot also received the Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center Award for his leadership, dedication and service. In addition to his community service time Mr. Talbot found his greatest satisfaction in meeting with newly diagnosed cancer patients and giving them practical information as well as encouragement and hope. Mr. Talbot was a past Chairman of the Board for three organizations: The Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center; The Greenwalt Alzheimer Center; and the Angel Foundation. He served on the Board of Directors of the LSU Foundation and he was a member of the board of East Jefferson Hospital for four years. Mr. Talbot served as a co-chair one year for the annual giving program for the Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center. He believed that this was the most important endeavor that he had ever undertaken, as the proceeds from the fundraiser went to a program to do screening for various types of cancer in the under-served communities. Always a man with a smile on his face and a helping hand extended, he will be remembered most importantly as a loving husband, father, father-in-law, and grandfather. He will be missed by all who knew him for his love and efforts to make our city and state a better place in which to live. The family would like to extend a special thank you to Dr. Jane Guertler, the caregivers and staff of both St. Joseph Hospice and Quality Care Group Sitters for their wonderful care and compassion. Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend the Funeral Mass at 12:00PM at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. on Wednesday, December 10, 2014. Visitation will begin at 10:00 am and continue until Mass. A private burial service will take place at the family home in Alabama at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations in his memory to Cancer Crusaders 1117 Homestead Avenue, Metairie LA 70005. To view and sign the guest book, please visit www.lakelawnmetairie.com.