In Memoriam: Geraldine Turner

Geraldine Turner. Photo provided by Kevin Turner

“Gerrie” passed away unexpectedly but peacefully at her home in Scottsdale, Arizona,  on Nov. 21, 2019. She was 89. Geraldine Marie Turner was born on Aug. 24, 1930, in Pueblo, Colorado, and was raised in both Pueblo, Colorado, and Los Angeles, California. Though Gerrie was an only child, she had 19 first aunts and uncles along with 57 first cousins.

Born into a Depression-era family of very modest means, Gerrie’s ambitious drive to become a teacher was evident at a very early age. She graduated from Pueblo Central High School and enrolled at Denver University just prior to her 17th birthday. Gerrie majored in physical education and was a member of the Kappa Delta Sorority.

In the summer of 1949 at the age of 19, she met the love of her life, Ewing Turner, a Brooklyn Dodgers minor league catcher who was assigned to the Pueblo Dodgers. A whirlwind romance ensued. One year later, they were married and the Turners were on a fast track to the big leagues. However, when they arrived home from their honeymoon on Sept. 30, 1950, Ewing was drafted into the U.S. Army to serve on the front lines in the Korean War. Faith, hope and prayers brought Ewing back in 1952 and he resumed his career with the Dodgers.

Ewing and Gerrie traveled the country in pursuit of their dreams from Vero Beach to Ponca City, Oklahoma, Mobile, Alabama and many other stops in between.

In 1955, Ewing and Gerrie, with a toddler and another baby on the way, decided to retire from baseball to move back to Long Beach, California. With his baseball bonus money, Ewing bought Curley’s Café in Signal Hill and settled into a small home in Signal Hill. With one more move to Long Beach, they eventually purchased their dream home in 1960 on Rowena Drive in Rossmoor, California. With four kids to raise, Gerrie became the ultimate super mom and wife—homemaking, cooking, cleaning, organizing and volunteering at the kids’ schools and throughout the community, including volunteer work at their church St. Hedwig’s in Los Alamitos.

Gerrie became president of Ebell Juniors in Long Beach, a philanthropic organization, from 1966 to 1967 and also served as president of the Los Alamitos Women’s Club from 1969 to 1970.

Ewing and Gerrie became avid golfers in the early 1970s and convinced several other neighborhood couples to join Old Ranch Country Club in Seal Beach. Known as the “Hic and Hackers,” Gerrie and Ewing organized many golf trips over the years and traveled with their friends to Hawaii, Palm Springs, Ojai, San Diego and Las Vegas for memorable golf outings.

From 1975 to 1984, Gerrie became one of the top residential agents selling apartments throughout Southern California until a major heart-attack forced her into early retirement.

Gerrie was ‘mom’ to many of the Turner kids’ friends. “You are always welcome to stay for dinner,” our mother would say—and eat they would! She fed half of the Los Al Griffin football team over a 10-year span from 1969 to 1979.

Mom was always up for a celebration and party-planning was Gerrie’s specialty. Birthdays, graduations, costume parties, Rose Bowl, Super Bowl and the Turner’s famous Curley’s chili “joke” parties were among the most popular parties but her favorite party was a cocktail party!

Family vacations were a big priority for Ewing and Gerrie. From Donner Lake, Mammoth, Hawaii, Bass Lake, trips to Colorado, Mexico, Canada, Lake Arrowhead and finally a “cabin”—the ‘Hillbilly Hilton’ in Canyon Lake, California.

After the kids went off to college, Gerrie and Ewing traveled extensively throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Europe with many of their closest friends from over the years.

Ewing and Gerrie sold their Rossmoor home in 1995 and moved to Canyon Lake to set up shop for the next nine years on their 13th tee box home at Canyon Lake Country Club.

In 2004, Gerrie and Ewing were on the move again to Phoenix, Arizona, to settle into their sunset years. Mom loved her Arizona sunsets in the Sonoran Desert. Despite numerous setbacks with her “ticker,” Gerrie continued to bounce back from each adversity and lived a complete and full life. She is now at home, resting in peace with the Lord.

Gerrie is survived by her husband, Ewing; her daughters, Dr. Pamelee Turner Santesteban of Scottsdale, Arizona, and Jana Lynn Turner of Newport Beach; her sons, Kerry Ewing Turner and daughter-in-law Alicia of Rossmoor, Kevin Michael Turner and daughter-in-law Perrin of Coto De Caza; grandchildren, Austin Fairbourn, grand-son-in-law Charlie, Ashley Turner, Patrick, Riley and Lily Turner; and great-granddaughter, Turner Marie Fairbourn. She is also survived by her third adoptive son, Robert Harrison Bowles, of Denver, Colorado, and wife Lynn and their four children, and many life-long friends.

In lieu of flowers, Gerrie is being honored with donations to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital at stjude.org/donate. Gerrie’s life was celebrated with a Catholic funeral mass in Scottsdale, Arizona on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019, with interment at Holy Redeemer Cemetery in Phoenix, Arizona.