George Henry Turner

He was born to the late Augusta Sample and George Henry Turner in Exmore, Virginia, in Hampton County on the Eastern shore. He was raised by his Grandparents, John and Florence Jacobs, and grew up with his first cousins, the Baileys.

Dad committed his life to Christ early and was baptized in the local river near his family’s church.

Upon completing high school, he relocated to the New York City area to further his career objective. This is where he met and married the love of his life, Lillian, on August 3, 1951.

He served in the Army during the Korean conflict. He returned home to his bride and began raising his family under the guidance of the Lord. This union produced Denise, George, Kevin, Curtis, and Brian. Three daughters-in-law, Sylvia, Denise, and Raydell, several grandchildren, Syreeta, Simone, Kevin II, Kimberly, Danyelle, Raven, Curtis II, two grandsons-in-law, Tim, Reggie, and four great-grandchildren, Zoila, Saniya, Simeon, and Selah.

Having an infectious personality, dad enjoyed meeting people and seeking new adventures. During his travels near and far, dad never met a stranger, especially during his early years as a long distant truck driver for his uncle’s trucking company hauling produce from Virginia to the east coast.

George chose to raise his family with his wife, Lillian, in Yonkers, New York. He was a father who was committed to maintaining his family’s health and providing financial stability for his family. Due to the challenges and cultural difficulties of his era, there was a time dad held 12 different jobs in one year to maintain the cohesiveness of his household. One, in particular, was cleaning telephone booths. These were the old variety that had a door to open and close that the television character (Clark Kent) used when he transformed himself into Superman. We helped clean those booths once a month in every environment, rain, snow, and summer heat. Cleaning the telephone booths and dad’s steady hands-on approach to discipline and love helped build character. It influenced us greatly, in addition to providing additional finances for the many vacations we enjoyed.

He was a sports fanatic and follower of the New York Metropolitans (Mets) Baseball Club and an enthusiastic supporter of the Dallas Cowboys.

As his children grew into adulthood and began venturing into the community with their friends for different entertaining events, they understood they had to meet with their dad early in the day if they wished to enjoy the benefit of dad and mom’s vehicles. Dad shared his life experiences with his children and their friends while giving sound advice and support. He would sit us down in the living room and give a sermon concerning different societal and cultural situations, especially before attending social gatherings. This became a tradition in the Turner household with family and friends; everyone knew dad Turner.

After uniting with and attending Community Memorial Baptist Church in Yonkers, New York, dad was recognized for his leadership abilities for many years. He was elected chairperson of the trustee board, serving diligently for 35 years. During his tenure, when the church experienced hardships and was presented with closure, chairmen Turner, the Lord, and other members were instrumental in organizing the members to remain faithful to Christ, resulting in the church’s persistence in meeting the needs of the community.

Once dad retired from his career of 35 years with the City of Yonkers, traveling became his recreation. He traveled with his wife and family to the many Caribbean and the Hawaiian Islands and on multiple cross-country road trips. His favorite annual destination was Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Dad was a loving, kind, and generous father who demonstrated the Godly virtues of our savior, Jesus Christ, who will forever live in our hearts.

Amen!