Dr. Gerald P. Turner

Dr. Gerald P. Turner died May 30, 2016, at the Gordon Hospice House from decade long complications from Myelodysplasia, a non-transferable bone marrow disorder. Dr. Turner regretted not finding a satisfactory time to tell his former patients and friends about his health and wish everyone goodbye. Dr. Turner was a general dentist serving the Statesville community for 45 years, retiring in 2012. He was born in Caldwell County, NC October 19, 1940, the youngest child of the late Perry A. Turner, Sr. and Florence Anderson Turner of Hickory. He is survived by his lovely and beloved wife of 51 years, Barbara Jane Turner; a son, Mark and wife Michele, and children Jackson and Katelyn Turner of Charlotte; a daughter, Aubrey Turner, husband Randall Weatherman, and son Andrew Cochrane of Statesville; a sister, Joan Turner Moore and husband John of Hickory, NC. He was preceded in death by his brother, Perry A. Turner, Jr. and wife Ann Goodman Turner of Greensboro and a sister, Marjorie Turner Sherrill of Hickory. Dr. Turner devoted his life to taking care of his immediate family and his family of dental patients. He always felt both humbled and blessed to have served the very nicest people in North Carolina. Dr. Turner deeply loved and valued his wife, children, and grandchildren and always held them up as a source of pride and joy. Dr. Turner was educated at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, entering the UNC School of Dentistry at age 20 and graduating in 1965 immediately volunteering for the United States Army during the Vietnam War. His main Army responsibility was preparing soldiers for deployment which always left him wondering how many of his patients fell needlessly in Viet Nam. While in the Army, Dr. Turner joined the Armor Center Karate Club, taught and conducted by a Filipino Tae Kwon Do master. He enjoyed learning and progressing in karate skills until the weekly matches evolved into very serious, injurious, three on one fights with Dr. Turner being the one. He amusedly recalled the line combat enlisted men eagerly relishing the opportunity to kick any part of his anatomy although none ever won a fight and none ever put the Captain on the ground. After his Army discharge in August 1967, Dr. Turner established a family dental practice in Statesville supported by his wife, Barbara. Mrs. Turner was a university trained expert in chairside dental assisting and was employed by the UNC School of Dentistry Department of Dental Assisting as a faculty staff member when she married Dr. Turner in December 1964. Dr. Turner was a past member of numerous civic, social, religious, and professional organizations and was a current member of Broad Street United Methodist Church. Dr. Turner loved the excitement and adventure of offshore fishing and enjoyed the years of action in king mackerel and billfish tournaments from Manteo to Key West, fishing with his best friend and son, Mark, as well as teaching the fishing how-tos to his young grandchildren. Dr. Turner's love of the sea prompted him to earn a U.S. Coast Guard Captain's License allowing him to conduct charter fishing for 6 people up to 100 miles offshore. Over the years, Dr. Turner and Mark enjoyed chasing billfish on the east coast, in Mexico, the Virgin Islands, and the Bahamas, collecting sights and memories they believed only seen by them. Dr. Turner fondly remembered the kindest people he ever knew - his mother, Florence; brother in law, Leslie Sherrill of Hickory; his family physician, Dr. Ben Dunlap; long-time friend, colleague, and neighbor, Dr. Larry Dorton; his long-time assistant, Doris Cloer; and Dr. Ruby Grimm and staff. In lieu of flowers, if desired, memorials may be sent to the Children's Home Society of North Carolina, PO Box 14608, Greensboro, NC 27415 or Gordon Hospice House, 2341 Simonton Rd, Statesville, NC 28625. A celebration of life service honoring Dr. Turner will be conducted at 1:00 PM Thursday, June 2, 2016, in the Nicholson Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Tom Corbell and Rev. Robert Garrett officiating. The family will visit with friends from 11:00 am until 12:45 pm at the funeral home. Burial will follow in the Oakwood Cemetery with full military honors provided by Iredell County Veterans Burial Detail. Pallbearers will be Mark, Jackson, and Katelyn Turner, Andrew Cochrane, Randall Weatherman, John Moore, and Fred Turner. Honorary pallbearers are Dr. Larry Dorton, Dr. James Rodgers, Dr. Tom Templeton, Charles Onsrud, Larry Black, Leslie Sherrill, Jim Head, Dr. Ben Dunlap, and David Flowers. Online condolences can be made to the family at www.nicholsonfunerals.com and Nicholson Funeral Home is serving the family of Dr. Gerald Turner.