John Bernard Talcott

1947 – 2023

John Bernard Talcott, Husband, Father, Grandfather, Great Grandfather, Musician and Educator, passed away with family by his side on December 5, 2023 in Springville, Utah. John was born on December 17, 1947 in Kemmerer, Wyoming, the eldest child of John (Jack) Leroy Talcott and Ora Augusta Sandberg Talcott. He grew up in rural Wyoming and in his youth developed a passion for music. Upon graduation from high school, he attended Utah State University where he earned Bachelor and Masters degrees in Music Education. It was at Utah State where John met his first wife Norma (Penny) Lee Marx. Together, they were blessed with three children, John E., Jason and Jennifer. Following his divorce from Penny, John met, fell in love with and married Lou Ann Hendrickson and they spent nearly 35 years as loving husband and wife. He was also very proud to have had over 37 years of sobriety at the time of his passing.

John was an incredibly talented musician, and he shared that gift as a music and band teacher in several schools across Utah for 33 years. The last twenty plus years of his teaching career were spent at Springville Middle School, where he taught thousands of students who were picking up an instrument for the first time.

He loved the ability he had to share his musical influence with young people and to build their musical interest and talent. He left an incredible impression with these students, and many of them have reached out over the years expressing their appreciation for what he taught them.

Upon retirement from teaching, John turned his hobby of repairing instruments into a second part-time career, working first as a repair technician at a local music shop and later opening his own business, The Saxophone Shop. He spent countless hours in his shop turning long forgotten instruments into his own masterpieces.

John had an incredible attention to detail and would not settle until his build or repair was absolutely perfect.

One of his favorite things was to scour the internet for rare and undervalued instruments that he’d purchase, repair and sell. He had clients across the country who sought out his expertise, skill and craftsmanship for their instrument repair. John also freely and graciously shared his insights with other musicians and instrument repair technicians in global online communities.

Throughout the years, John looked for any chance to play his saxophone, playing gigs with dance bands, concerts with the Utah State alumni band, and in countless other ensembles. In addition to his passion and love for everything music, John enjoyed traveling with his wife Lou Ann. He loved a casino and would often make spontaneous trips to Wendover and occasional trips to Las Vegas. John also loved to build, fix and remodel things and it seemed that he always had a project he was working on, often involving and teaching his children along the way. John was an avid dog lover, and he spoiled his Springer Spaniels Winnie, Toby and Bella. Most of all, John loved his family and cherished the time they spent together at holiday dinners, summer backyard barbeques, birthdays, watching movies together and other family events.

John leaves a lasting legacy, with his wife Lou Ann Talcott, son and daughter-in-law John E. and Natasha Talcott, son Jason Talcott, daughter Jennifer Talcott, seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren, with another one on the way. He is also survived by his brother Charles Talcott and his sister Charla Underwood.

The Talcott family would like to send our sincere appreciation and gratitude to everyone at Stonehenge of Springville and to Belle Vie Hospice for their dedicated and compassionate care for John during his final days.

A Celebration of Life open house will be held for John on Friday, December 15th between 6:00pm and 8:00pm at the Walker Sanderson Funeral Home located at 85 East 300 South, Provo, Utah. All family, friends, colleagues and former students are welcome to join us in reflecting and remembering this incredible man. Memories of John and condolences may be shared with the family at www.walkersanderson.com.