Captain George E. Turley

Captain Turley was a 31 year veteran of the department. He was born in Manchester, Connecticut and attended school in Brimfield, Ohio. Before moving to Chattanooga and joining the Chattanooga Fire Department, he lived and worked in Port St. Lucie, Florida. In 1993, he graduated from the Chattanooga Fire Academy. At his death, he was the most senior member of the department.

According to the Fire Department spokesman, “Captain Turley’s passion for the fire service and compassion for others has left a mark on many in our department. He truly cared about the job and he wanted it done right, making him a role model and strong leader in the CFD. He was a staple in the Hixson community who always went the extra mile to make school visits and station visits extra special for children. George was a good person and a solid firefighter who will be greatly missed. He enjoyed teaching and also worked as an Instructional Specialist for Emergency Response Training for TVA.” In addition, he also worked at Tennessee Fire Equipment.

He loved his work, his squad, doing school visits and teaching children about the fire department. He had even attended a child’s birthday party on that same Saturday.

He and his family attended St. Jude Catholic Church where he was a member of the Knights of Columbus.

He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Deborah Turley; sons, Spenser Turley of Tokyo, Japan, and Alex Turley (Kate Ford) of Chattanooga, Tennessee; his parents, Bill and Loretta Breault of Manchester, Connecticut; brothers, Gene (Barbie) Turley of Manchester, Connecticut; Larry (Paula) Turley of Ledyard, Connecticut; sister, Fran (Glenn) Uslan of Jacksonville, Florida.

He is also survived by sister-in-law, Mary Dinsmore (Steven Mederios) of Chattanooga; brothers -in- law, Eric (Stephanie) Dinsmore of Orlando, Florida and Andrew Dinsmore (Jennifer Allender) of Cleveland, Tennessee, and several nieces and nephews.

Captain Turley also leaves behind a vast and beloved brotherhood of firefighters with whom he worked and who tended to him in his time of need. Special members of his squad were Ace Gardner, Terrance Watkins, Jesse Ridge and the late Chad Crisp.

A visitation for George will be held Thursday, December 19, 2024 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Chattanooga Funeral Home-North Chapel, 5401 Highway 153, P.O. Box 9, Hixson, TN 37343. A visitation will occur Friday, December 20, 2024 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at St. Jude Catholic Church, 930 Ashland Terrace, Chattanooga, TN 37415. A funeral service will occur Friday, December 20, 2024 at 2:00 PM at the church following the visitation. A committal will occur Friday, December 20, 2024 at Lakewood Memory Gardens East, 4621 Shallowford Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37411.

The family would like to thank Chief Phil Hyman, Seth Miller, Dusty Rose, Kristin Duke, members of the Chattanooga Fire Fighter’s Association, Local 820, and all of George’s brothers and sisters in the Chattanooga Fire Department and the Chattanooga Police Department who have supported him these last 31 years and taken care of him in these last few days.

Please share your thoughts and memories at www.chattanooganorthchapel.com

Arrangements are by the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory and Florist, 5401 Highway 153, Hixson, TN 37343.