Lizbeth Ann "Beth" Turner

Lizbeth Ann (“Beth”) Turner, of New Orleans, passed away peacefully at home on February 1, 2023 in the loving presence of her sister, Laurie, and close friends after meeting Parkinson’s Disease and pancreatic cancer with determination and dignity and celebrating her 70th birthday just a few days earlier. Her life was a gift to all the people she touched by sharing her many and diverse talents.

Beth was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 28 years, Clarence Dowling (“Pete”) Wolbrette; parents, Mercedes (“Merk”) Avet and Thomas Warren Turner Sr; and brother Thomas Warren Turner Jr. She is survived by her sisters, Jeannie Turner Sawyer (Thomas) of Lafayette and Laurie Turner Conkerton (John) of New Orleans; sister-in-law, Elizabeth Turner of Sugar Land, Texas; brother-in-law Henri Wolbrette III (Linda Case), niece Rebecca Sawyer Comeaux (Walter), nephew Brian DeHart (Courtney), and grandnieces and grandnephews Bailey, Rowan, Rami, and Cameron DeHart and Quin and Corinne Comeaux.

Born in Houma, La., Beth graduated from Vandebilt Catholic High and then obtained a Bachelor of Music in applied piano from Nicholls State University. She then studied music therapy at Loyola University and became a registered music therapist. A few years after that, thanks to a full scholarship, Beth went to Tulane Law School where she graduated second in her class, served on the Law Review, and received the Order of the Coif and many other awards (to no one’s surprise).

It was in New Orleans that Beth met her beloved late husband when she began playing piano with the New Leviathan Oriental Fox-Trot Orchestra in which he played trumpet. Leviathan’s pianist since 1978, for nearly 45 years she played in their performances, including their annual Jazz Fest shows, acclaimed recordings, and appearances in the U.S. and internationally. Memorable events included Carnivale in Milan, Italy, a wedding performance in Vancouver, BC, the Jazz Festival in Essex, Connecticut, the Joplin Festival in Missouri, and other festivals and performances in Louisiana and other states. Pete was her best friend and music partner, and Beth credits him with “pushing me to do things musically that I never knew I could do.” And do them they did. In multiple genres, from classical and jazz performances, many on the Trinity Artist Series, to providing the accompaniment to the silent movie Beau Geste. The two of them also played for hundreds of weddings and other celebrations. Beth also volunteered her musical talents to St. Stephen’s Basilica playing services from 1988 until just a few months before her passing. It is impossible to remember Beth without also mentioning the Mardi Gras morning promenades she organized down St. Charles Avenue and her epic costume-making skills. From Venetian fantasies to Fabergé eggs to life-sized cellos and Blue Dogs, her “krewes” made an impression on the gathering Carnival Day crowds.

Beth had the rare fortune of being able to advance things she cared about as part of her legal professional life. A generous woman, and deeply grateful for her education, she specialized in the law of philanthropy and worked as an attorney in the Development Office of Tulane University, retiring as the Executive Director of Legal Affairs and Senior Philanthropic Advisor in 2019. She genuinely enjoyed working with donors who supported Tulane, especially those who established scholarships. And true to form, she volunteered of her legal talents, too, serving on sub-committees of the Louisiana Law Institute and working to adopt legislation on endowed funds and charitable trusts.

In retirement, Beth was pleased to discover the happiest years of her life. Even the Parkinson’s diagnosis became a gift because it brought to her cherished friends at the BIG for LIFE Parkinson’s support group established by her OT Frannie Bienvenu at Touro, her yoga pod, pandemic pod, and very cherished visits and rehearsals with dear musical colleagues. When Mardi Gras was cancelled, she designed and built a house float, and, with her usual over achievement, it became a business, as the next year she began selling her fabric art Carnival House Float Flowers…because every house needs a costume. Her final illness brought a gift, too: learning how much she was loved by friends and family and having time to share memories with those she cherished.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a memorial service at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home (5100 Pontchartrain Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70124) on Thursday, February 9, 2023 at 12 noon. Visitation will be held from 10 AM until service time. A private interment will take place at a later date.

The family thanks Dr. Scott Sonnier, and the doctors and nurses of the Senior Care unit of Touro, and the compassionate caregivers from Home Care Solutions and Passages hospice.

In lieu of flowers, Beth suggested that friends remember her by spreading an act of kindness or, if they felt so inclined, making a donation to charities supporting the arts, Parkinson’s and cancer research, youth music programs, historic preservation, or coastal restoration.