Charles Robert Turner

Charles Robert Turner, 89, passed away after a brief illness on March 2, 2017 in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He was born on May 6, 1927 in a rural Nodaway County, Missouri home. He was the son of Galen A. and Esther Bebout Turner. He graduated from Hopkins High School at Hopkins Missouri, in the class of 1945. After serving in the U.S. Navy from 1945 – 1946, he attended the University of Missouri, College of Agriculture and School of Engineering. While attending MU he continued his athletic passions, playing on both the Missouri Tiger basketball and baseball squads for 2 ½ years. Upon returning home to Hopkins after college he was a member of the Hopkins Lions baseball team which played games in MO, Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas, and was well known for its Memorial Ball Park which he was quite proud to support. He began his career in construction and mining in 1950 and continued until his retirement in 2009. “Charlie” created and operated several highway construction and mining companies including Turner Construction, Turner Quarries and Advance Concrete and Asphalt in Maryville, MO, Turner Brothers Inc., Muskogee, OK, Tiger Industrial Transportation, Tiger Rock, and Tiger Asphalt, Enterprise OK. Charles married Beverly Joan Litsch on August 22, 1948 at the First Christian Church of Hopkins, Missouri. She preceded him in death in 2003 after 56 years of marriage. They were blessed with four children, Robert Allen, Rebecca Ann, William Thomas, and Charles Richard (Dick). While work has taken him to other states, his heart and home was always Hopkins, MO where he raised his family. He served as an Elder in the Hopkins First Christian Church, taught Sunday school class, sponsored the high school youth group and sang in the choir. He is survived by son Rob and wife JP of Fort Gibson, OK, daughter Beccy and husband Jack, Bedford, Iowa, and son Tom and wife Dianne Muskogee, OK, 11 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, 7 nephews, one niece, and sister-in-law Ruby Turner. He will be remembered and greatly missed by special friends, and the staff of Country Gardens Assisted Living where he spent the last nine years. A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held at First Christian Church, Hopkins, Missouri on Saturday, March 11, with Bishop Fritz Mutti officiating. Visitation will be held one hour before the 11:00 service. Interment will be in the Hopkins Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Hopkins First Christian Church.

Charles Robert Turner

May 6, 1927 - March 2, 2017