John P. Turner Iii

Turner III, John P. of Washington Twp., formerly of Oakwood, died at his home Tuesday, May 26, 2009. John was born August 12, 1943 in Bellefonte, PA. to John and Arlyn Turner, who predeceased him. He was also predeceased by his beloved in-laws, Dr. Robert Alan and Barbara Fanning. John graduated from Oakwood High School in 1962 and attended Vanderbilt University and Ohio State University. John also served in the Marine Corp Reserves for many years. He began his career as a buyer for Rike's. He was most recently employed by Weiler Welding and Dorothy Lane Market. A salesman by trade, John was truly a "people person" and never knew a stranger. A loving and adored family man, John is survived by his wife of 43 years Judy (Fanning), his son Jeff (Marci) and their children Brendon, Lauren, Zach and Emma and his daughter Carrie Turner Dan (Shawn) and their children Nicholas and Cami. He is also survived by his sisters Carolyn Bouton and her children Cathy, Jen (Kevin Peters) and Dianne, Nancy Pruner and her daughter Polly Leasure (Will), sister-in-law Janet Fanning Dues (John) and their children Elizabeth, Lt. John J. Dues Jr. and Christopher and treasured friends Bob and Sally Stein and their children Rob, and Barb Stein Rau (Tom) and their son Jack. He is also survived by his step-mother Jeanne Stark Turner, of Tequesta, FL. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 30, 2009 at 11:00 AM at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 33 W. Dixon Ave., Oakwood with The Rev. Jack F. Koepke III officiating. Family will receive friends from 5-8:00 PM on Friday, May 29, 2009 at Routsong Funeral Home, 2100 E. Stroop Rd., Kettering. Contributions in John's memory can be made to either the Alzheimer's Association Miami Valley Chapter, 3797 Summit Glen Drive, Dayton, Ohio 45449, or the ALS Association Central and Southern Ohio Chapter, 1170 Old Henderson Rd., Suite 221, Columbus, Ohio 43220. Condolences and other remembrances may be sent to the family at www.routsong.com. Gentle, kind, never sarcastic or trite -- not a mean bone in his body! John was consistent! He was the same person in 2009 that he was in 1958 (the first year I met him.) He possessed high moral and ethical standards that he carried into his marriage of 43 years and into his successful career in retailing and sales. The man loved and enjoyed helping people. His favorite job that he ever had was at Dorothy Lane Market where he could converse freely with and assist customers. This was his venture into volunteerism. John's favorite pastimes were reading, talk radio, the beach in St. Simons, the clear water in Vermont at Nancy and Bill McGuires, going to movies with anyone, but mostly his son, Jeff - sixties music, poker with the 6gers, bridge, Gentlemen Jack, San Francisco, Gentlemen Jack, beautiful WOMEN------not necessarily in that order!!! The point he was not shy about discussing --his finest moment - was when he fell in love with and captured the heart of a beautiful young lady by the name of Judith Elaine Fanning! Sally and I were married in 1965, John and Judy in 1966. (This is where the John and Judy and Sally and Bob thing really got started!) The decisions that John and I made concerning marriage were discussed at great length. Our "girls" had already agreed to it! The real problem was asking their father's for their blessing!!! Judy's father was a well known and respected general surgeon that seemed to like John. This was a daunting task, and believe me, we really had to counsel and support one another to just get through it! We were both amazed when these seemingly sophisticated, intelligent men both said YES! Some of our children have done this differently. Shawn Dan, Carrie's husband, called John one evening and asked John to stay up until he got there, as he was driving back to Dayton from Kentucky. Shawn arrived carrying a large box with a big towel draped over it - sat down in the living room with John, removed the towel and presented John with a case of Y; gallon bottles of various brands of premium sour mash. Shawn asked John for his daughters hand in marriage and of course, John said YES! As Shawn was leaving, John said "You know, you could have had her for a fifth of Gentlemen Jack! As young married men, we didn't know that we both had won the marital lottery - that fact has been exhibited and tested and proven over the last forty three years of our lives! Soon after Judy and John were married, Jeff and Carrie were born. John dearly loved his children. He supported all their activities, was proud oftheir scholastic achievements and was a devoted sports fan! He was so proud to be a grandparent to Nicholas, Cami, Lauren, Brendon, Emma and Zach. Last Monday night, Sally and I took dinner to Judy and visited with Judy and John. These visits were getting more and more difficult. In saying good night to him, as he could no longer keep his head up , I knelt down in front of his chair and gave him a hammerlock hug around his head. He said, "I love you Bob" and I said, "I love you John." He died peacefully six or seven hours later! That last salutation was from and to all of you that knew him - through me! If we believe that God has a plan for us, then it was God that kept me here and Him that took my friend away. Gentlemen, when it is our time to go, we will do well to seek out the big guy, with the big voice, and the big smile, because he will be with the beautiful women, waiting for the rest of us! Our Dad was affected by a disease called ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. And while we knew it was something from which he would continue to deteriorate, his death this week was relatively unexpected and something for which we weren't prepared.We're lucky we had the months that we did with him while he was sick, to show him how much we loved him. And even though we told him daily what he meant to us, there are a few things for which we'd like to take a moment to tell him "thank you".Dad, thank you for teaching us that the "extra hour wait" for the very first car on the roller coaster is definitely worth it! Thank you for teaching us how to swim with the waves of the ocean and respect the currentand for showing our children not to be afraid to swim in the ocean as well.Thank you for coming to all the Harman Grade School assemblies. You were one of few dads who were able to make each one.Thank you for attending almost every soccer, football & basketball game, and every single swim meet. In fact one of the only soccer games of mine you missed in all those years, I broke my ankle. You were my lucky charm. ANDThank you for having the loudest whistle at each of these sporting events. Thank you for your patience in teaching us to driveand wreck your cartwice. Thank you for teaching us that there is a big difference between Jack Daniels & Gentleman Jack. Thank you for always being the dad to walk with my friends and me trick-or-treatingeven the year we wore roller skates. Thank you for sharing with us your love of moviesand teaching us that Animal House really is such a classiceven when you're 10. Thank you for teaching us that when you're in a restaurant, on a pier, in the ocean, in Marbleheaddon't order a steak. Thank you for teaching us how to make the perfect Egg McMuffin. Thank you for being my favorite dance partner.Thank you for instilling in us the absolute importance of purchasing the dark blue properties in the game of Monopoly. Thank you for teaching me the following 4 things about a kitchen: when emptying the ice cube trays, always refill them with water, make the coffee at night and set a timer, fold the empty cereal boxes and never take the last piece of cheese without telling the grocery shopperalong with other "particular" tendencies of yours which I use to roll my eyes at when we were growing up. My kitchen runs very efficiently these days. Thank you for wanting to know our friends and offering to always be the driver to the movies & roller skating rink. Thank you for your guidance, love and constant support every day of our lives. Your influence is seen daily in our interactions with our own children, as we strive to be like you as a parent, mentor & friend. We recognize & greatly appreciate the sacrifices you made, and your hard work, to ensure we were raised in a wonderful community such as Oakwood. And thank you for all the treasured childhood memories that you helped create. And on behalf of our Mom, we'd like to thank a few individuals for their kindness and tremendous support during this last year. To Mom's staff at the Alzheimer's Association: You are seated directly behind Mom's family for a reasonYou are her 2nd family. She tells us daily how grateful she is to work with you and could not have gone through what she did without you all. Thank you. To the neighbors at Nicholson Ct: Thank you for your friendship, especially during Dad's illness. And for the numerous meals and visits, the planting of their gardens, the support, the physical help w/ Dad, there are guardian angels among you, and we thank you. To Aunt Sally & Uncle Bob Stein: There are not enough "thank yous" for all you have done and continue to do for our family. Friendships such as yours are rare treasures. We love you. And to Mom, how you found the emotional and physical strength to care for Dad so devotedly this year is remarkable. You ensured he knew every day how much he was loved. You sacrificed so much of yourself, so that Dad could maintain the best, possible quality of life, despite his illness. You kept him going and gave him hope, and would have continued to do so, as long as necessary. Mom, we thank & love youand so does Dad.

Funeral Home:
Kettering Routsong Funeral Home
2100 E. Stroop Rd.
Kettering, OH
US 45429