Joyce Yerkes Turner

Turner, Joyce Yerkes, age 82, of Richmond, VA, and formally of Atlanta, GA, passed peacefully through that thin veil between life on earth and life in heaven to be present with the Lord on May 1st after a long and courageous battle with Parkinson’s. She was welcomed home by her mother and father, Mary Ann and Hobart McKinley Yerkes; her brother, John Yerkes; and her young daughter, Sherry Layne Turner.

She is survived by her husband of 62 years, Samuel H. Turner; a daughter, Leslie Newton and her husband, Ralph, of Richmond, VA; a son, Samuel McKinley Turner and his wife, Sara, of Crozier, VA; seven grandchildren, Allison Green, Jamie Newton, Josh Newton, Lesley Newton, and Mac, Boden and Shepherd Turner; great-grandchild, Mary Jo Green; sister-in-law, Barbara Cone Yerkes of Boston, GA; niece Lori Yerkes, and her husband Dario, and two daughters, Aiyana and Melisa, also of Boston, Georgia; and a niece Mary Anne Yerkes of Northern Virginia.

Born in 1940, Joyce grew up in Decatur, Georgia, graduated from Decatur High School, and attended Georgia State University in Atlanta. At Georgia State she was a member of Delta Zeta Sorority and served as Homecoming Queen.

Joyce devoted her life to Christ and to her family, who will carry her legacy as a kind, loving and caring wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother for generations. She served on the Retreat Hospital Board and was a longtime member of Tuckahoe Women’s Club. She was also a longtime member of Second Baptist Church where she was active in the choir and various other roles for many years. The family wishes to thank all of Joyce’s medical team and caregivers, especially Esther Queegley, Jenell Moseley, Fanta Kromah, and the staff of Bon Secours Hospice, for being a source of comfort and strength.

The family will receive friends at Woody Funeral Home – Parham Road in Richmond on Sunday, May 8th 2022 from 4:30 PM to 6 PM. A memorial service will be held in the chapel at Woody on Monday, May 9th 2022 at 11:30 AM. The memorial service will be livestreamed (Link available under the service tab) and available for viewing after the service will also be under the service tab . Interment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, he family suggests donations be directed to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and the VCU Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Center.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.woodyfuneralhomeparham.com for the Turner family.