For 47 years, Garret Jordan Nathaniel Talbot walked this earth with purpose and connection. Garret was an incredibly dedicated and passionate man who deeply loved his family and friends, both near and far. Whether he met you on the street or at work, in a cafe or in a bar, while looking at art or listening to music, Garret was able to find the things you had in common and draw you into conversation. He was an incredibly knowledgeable polymath whose bedside table was a home to books of Greek myth and ancient philosophers, as well as to graphic novels. He also loved animals and had a particular fondness for cats.
Garret spent more than 20 years working as a Local 580 union ironworker for Post Road Iron Works. He took deep pride in his work and welded in some of the most iconic buildings in New York City’s skyline, including the Freedom Tower and memorial site, Summit One, Cooper Hewitt at 41 Cooper Square, NYU’s John A. Paulson Center, the American Museum of Natural History, the Steinway Tower, 1 Manhattan West, JKF, LGA, Yankee Stadium, and the Coney Island Aquarium, to name just a few. Garret was also one of the first ironworkers to go into Ground Zero on 9/11, to cut away the wreckage in an effort to find survivors.
His vision extended beyond his work, and it began developing at an early age. When he was only 2, he participated in his first outdoor art show, selling his works on the streets of Wickford, R.I. Later on, he had a zine called “Bread and Butter,” which included his linotypes and writings. He was deeply interested in making sculpture, and he had the opportunity to repair some pieces by the renowned artist Frederick Franck. Garret’s last show, “Shots From Above,” boosted images he had taken while working on his job. He loved sharing his art, and his images hang on the walls of many people in his circle today.
Garret briefly studied music, but he had an ear for sound. He routinely played the instruments of his friends and family more often than they did. No matter how long you worked on tuning your guitar, Garret would re-tune it. He had eclectic taste in music. His first concert was Murphy’s Law (we don’t talk about the Milli Vanilli one), and the last was Tool. His love of folk music ran deep, and throughout his life he sang with friends and family.
He was a prolific traveler — both in the wider world and within himself. Garret rebuilt, converted, and retrofitted boats. And he was instrumental in the rebuilding of the SV Kwai, the 140-foot ship that he worked on in Aveiro, Portugal, and on which he crossed the Atlantic and continued on to Suriname. He also worked on the Kwai in Martha’s Vineyard and on the Big Island of Hawaii. This boat went on to clean up more plastic in the Pacific Ocean than any other ship before it. Garret worked on repurposing a ship in the Scottish Highlands in 2023, spent time in Nicaragua and Peru, and was always up for an adventurous road trip anywhere.
Garret’s death has profoundly impacted so many. And he has left his parents, Jonathan and Marsha Talbot; his sister, Loren Talbot; her husband, Jacob Schuiten; his nephew, Vander Schuiten; and his aunt Elizabeth Panken with broken hearts and a deep longing for his presence. This feeling extends throughout his chosen family of friends, his fellow Local 580 ironworkers, his shipmates, his former partners, and his vast community both near and far. Garret loved deeply, and he was so deeply loved.
A celebration of Garret’s life will be held on Saturday, September 28, 2024, from 11 a.m. until nightfall, at Mountain Lake Park, 46 Bowen Road, in Warwick, New York. There will be a gathering and words from 2 to 4 p.m. We welcome all of our community to join.
Donations can be made in Garret’s honor to Pacem in Terris, a place he loved, via its website, or with a check, sent to 96 Covered Bridge Rd., Warwick, N.Y.