Edward Wayne Tallman, 70, died Feb. 13, 2023, at home in Durbin after a battle with liver disease and heart failure.
He was born on May 8, 1952, to the late Harlan (Pete) and Inez Tallman, the youngest of three children.
Mr. Tallman grew up in Durbin when it was a bustling little town and loved to tell tales about the way it was. His earliest memories include dancing and singing Elvis songs on a tabletop in one of the restaurants on Main Street. As a teenager he played in local rock and roll bands, and still had a fair singing voice in later years, which he exercised singing to his dogs.
He was in the last class to graduate from Green Bank High School and then studied English literature at West Virginia University. After graduation, he moved to New York City where he became an editor for the Wilson Company and profiled celebrities for a publication called Current Biography. He returned to West Virginia in the late 1990s, worked as the news director for West Virginia Mountain Radio and served a brief stint as Pocahontas County commissioner, before taking a job as the editor of the Pendleton Times, in Franklin. During his many years at the paper, he greatly enjoyed writing human interest stories about the local characters he encountered and befriended. He retired in 2015.
He was larger than life – difficult at times but never dull. Passionate about politics, he was a populist at heart. He loved rock and roll, movies and words, words, words – the written and the spoken. He could spin a yarn – getting to the point was always a long and winding journey with him. In his last years, he especially loved reconnecting with old friends, driving around the mountains and sharing stories.
His wife, Sue Ann Heatherly, survives.
Also surviving are a nephew, Mark Tracy; and three nieces Anita Plyler, Melanie Tallman Vaughn and Julie Ann Tallman.
His siblings, Bonnie Plyler and Roger Tallman preceded Ed in death.
Rather than mourning Mr. Tallman’s passing, he would want one to watch The Godfather Part II, listen to a little classic Elvis, raise a glass of wine and tell a story in his memory.
Memorial donations may be made to the Bartow Frank Durbin Fire and Rescue Squad, PO Box 267, Durbin, WV 26264. They were in his corner over the past couple of years, and the family is very grateful.
No memorial services are planned for this time. On his birthday, a picnic and celebration of his life will take place and his ashes will be scattered up on Cheat Mountain per his wishes. Friends and family are most welcome to join. Details will be shared later.
Online condolences may be sent to www.WallaceandWallaceFH.com.
Wallace & Wallace Funeral Home in Arbovale were in charge of arrangements.
