Shawn Howard Turner

These words shared by his mother were the perfect description of Shawn, one of the friendliest, most outgoing people you would ever meet. His hugs were legendary and greatly appreciated by the many people he touched. His intelligence and ability to talk about any subject were widely known. He was sincere in connecting with others, and had a great love of people, animals and nature.

Shawn was born on August 27th, 1968, in West Palm Beach, to Loretta Mae Turner, nee Mullins from West Virginia and Archie Turner, from Jacksonville, Florida. Growing up in Key West and the Keys was pivotal for his lifelong love of the outdoors. Growing up with his younger sister Dawn, Shawn spent his free time fishing and exploring the island. He often compared living in the desert of Southern Utah to being on an ocean island because of the peace and quiet surrounding places like Kanab, Utah, where he spent the last 12 years of his life.

Due to his father's service in the Armed Forces, the Turner family moved multiple times during his childhood. Shawn joined the military service himself in 1986 as a helicopter mechanic and powertrain specialist, which took him to Germany where he met his future wife Christiane, nee Diehl, and her family. They got married in 1990. For 5 years, he lived in Germany and worked at the Frankfurt Airport, first for Pan Am, then for Lufthansa, until he and his wife followed their inner calling to move to Utah, USA in 1992.

Together Shawn and Christiane have two sons. Gracen was born in 1999, and Maxian born in 2001 and they both have their own families and relationships. Gracen got married to Becca Herman in 2020 and Shawn was the proud grandfather of their three girls, Rialynn, Clover and Matilda.

After their relocation to Southern Utah in 2012, Shawn, who was an avid hiker and rockhound, and his family spent countless days in the surrounding National Parks and any places imaginable in between, accessible by dirt roads or a hiking trail. In 2020, Shawn turned his passion for the outdoors into his dream job when he joined the team at Dreamland Safari Tours in Kanab, Utah. He was proud of the fact that he had the privilege to take tourists from all over the world to the places he loved, especially The Wave and South Coyote Buttes in Northern Arizona.

Shawn was an excellent cook who loved to recreate meals he enjoyed in restaurants at home, giving them his special flair. He often played board games, loved science fiction stories and listened to music from 80's pop to rock to classic and jazz. Shawn's knowledge of the German language was so excellent that most people didn't know he was not a native speaker.

He was a deeply spiritual person who saw nature as his church. Shawn was a global traveler and had a great sense of adventure. Road trips were his favorite past time with his wife Christiane as they discovered new places in the USA, Germany, China and other countries.

We are very grateful to all the wonderful people who have accompanied our family over the last decades on both sides of the ocean, the many friends Shawn has made and the profound impact they had on his life. He loved you all deeply and is rejoicing in heaven right now, knowing that you are thinking of him. Please keep telling your favorite stories about him and how he touched your life. We are grateful to you for being there for our family during this trying time.

In lieu of flowers, please consider helping Shawn's family by making a Venmo donation to Christiane-Turner-1.