Vicki Ann Turko

Vicki Ann Turko, age 54, passed away quietly at home on August 21, 2014 after a courageous battle with cancer. She will be missed by her many friends, family and colleagues. Vicki, a well-respected lawyer in Houston, will be missed by many in the legal community. After graduating from the University of Houston with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science in 1980 and a law degree in 1984, Vicki began her legal career in criminal law working with Clyde Woody. She moved on to her own criminal defense practice before, joining the Harris County District Attorney’s office in 1991. In 1995, Vicki moved to Louisiana, and began a civil practice after taking the state bar in 1996. She worked for the law firm of Chopan Wagar where she became a limited partner. She returned to Houston, in 2002, to work with the law firm of Whittington Von Sternberg primarily doing insurance defense work until 2009 when she went to work for Farmers Insurance Group, as a lawyer with Soule`, Baldwin, & Fanaff where she remained until shortly before her death. Though her life focused on work, Vicki had other joys in life. She loved to cook, play sports and watch car racing. She was recognized by the University of Houston in 1983 as “Intramural Athlete of the Year”. She was also recognized in an article in the American Lawyer Magazine for her criminal defense work in a highly publicized case in Fort Bend County. Her friends and family describe Vicki as a witty, mischievous and fun-loving person whom they will miss dearly. She was preceded in death by her father, John Peter Turko. She is survived by her mother, Marjorie Turko; sister and brother-in-law Karen and Robert Preisler; nephew Bobby Preisler; niece Lisa Preisler; and life-long friends Frankie Davis and Vicki O’Kelley Craft. The funeral service is scheduled for 12:30 p.m., Monday, August 25, 2014 at the Heights Funeral Home, 1317 Heights Blvd., Houston, Texas. It will be followed by a graveyard service at 5 p.m. at Miller Cemetery, Highway 109 South, Starks, Louisiana. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to MD Anderson Cancer Center, https://gifts.mdanderson.org/mdanderson/main.php/micro_sites/showpage?id=60, in memory of Vicki Turko.

Arrangements under the direction of Heights Funeral Home, Houston, TX.