James B. Turner

James (Jim) Turner lost his 3 year battle with cancer at appropriately (…er, approximately) 4:20am on December 12th, 2016. He ultimately suffered a stroke as a result of bleeding in his brain, but died a peaceful death. He is survived by his wife, Martha whom he adored; his children Ned and Molly Turner, Anne and Matt Walker and Scott and Libby Turner whom he loved to challenge with logic problems and spirited political discussions; and his 6 grandchildren who affectionately called him “Poppy”. He was known by his grandkids for his stories and jokes. Born in Creston, IA in 1943 he lived in many different places before settling in Colorado. He graduated from CU Boulder in 1967 with a degree in Biology. It was during this time that he discovered a love that would last the rest of his life: Colorado Buffs Football! Following his graduation, Jim was unexpectedly drafted into the army where he served in Germany for 2 years. After returning from service, he earned his Master’s degree in marine biology from Florida State before returning to Colorado to for his law degree from DU. It was in the summer of 1977 that he met his other (and arguably more important) love - Martha. With Martha, it was love at first sight. They were married in August 1978, just over a year after they met. Around this same time, he passed the BAR exam, which was the beginning of a long and fruitful career as an attorney. Within 5 years, they were expecting their 3rd child and he filled the role of father naturally. Many weekends were spent taking his family to the mountains camping, jeeping and fishing. He also enjoyed sharing his passion for jazz music and football with his kids on his oversized home audio and TV systems. In the Turner house, home entertainment was to be enjoyed on a large scale. In recent years, you could find him taking walks to find the perfect shot of a barn at sunset or his dogs Mokie and Lulu. He loved good food, especially a rare steak following a piece of key lime pie (dessert first). Jim promptly retired on his 65th birthday, however to keep busy he became a marshal at a local golf course. What a way to retire: whisky, cigars and free golf. In 2011, he and Martha moved to Erie to be closer to their children and grandchildren. He held the important title of “Poppy” to 5 lucky kiddos (and one on the way). Since moving, he spent the last 5 years hosting family holidays, sleepovers with the grandkids and being the general hub of family activity. His last hours were spent surrounded by what was most important to him – his family. These are words that have been said of Jim since his passing: Jim Turner was a passionate man. He fought to know truth and cared more about living out what he thought was right than what was popular. He always had something to say about any topic of conversation and could have a conversation with anyone. He was a kind man with a great sense of humor who made other feel welcome and at ease in every situation. His joy and his scrambled eggs will be greatly missed.