Just last week, we were informed that one of the men featured in the short version of Life’s Waltz, passed away. This man was the kind, generous, and humorous Bob Talty, husband to Dorothy Talty. Bob and Dorothy were the hilarious married couple who finished each others’ sentences, helped each other out in a time of illness, and had found happiness together throughout 54 years of marriage:

After today’s filming, Jared and I both confronted the notion that there will be many heartbreaks for us both in the next couple of years.

Why? you wonder.

For the past few months and a year ago with our short film, Jared and I have been making friends with countless octogenarians and nonagenarians (80-year-olds and 90-year-olds)–many whom we have become quite close with. These interactions are remarkable: how many twenty-somethings bond with a large group of 80-somethings anyway? But, these friendships also mean that we must confront the notion that these friends will pass away in the next decade or so–at TVN alone, there have been four deaths just in this past week. For some, the idea of talking about or preparing for death is morbid, morose, and even depressing. But for Jared and I, exploring this topic is part of the path we have chosen. The immediate grief we feel from Bob’s passing is only an acknowledgment that we have lost his physical presence. I personally feel death is most certainly a part of life, not an end to life; and with that in mind, I see Life’s Waltz as a means to honor our friendship with Bob, the Talty’s lives together, and their stories and the stories of the other seniors involved. And, our current Life’s Waltz should prove a testament to the lives and stories of all of our new friends at TVN. Here’s to many more years with all of them!

All our love to the unforgettable, one-of-a-kind Bob Talty.

characters, In Memory Of, status update