David Chester Turner

Colonel David Chester Turner, USAF Retired, age 80, passed away on January 15, 2019 in Fernandina Beach, FL. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Jane, his daughter, Elizabeth Smith and husband, Lon of West Monroe, LA, his son, John Turner and wife, Selitha of Bossier City, LA, and three grandchildren, James “J.D.” Smith, Jane Marie Smith Staggs and husband, Tyler, and Trenton Turner, his brother, Charles Turner and wife, Claire of Port Angeles, WA, and several nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, Chester and Velda Turner.

He was born in Trumbull, NE, moved to Washington State at the age of two, and grew up in Sumner, WA. After graduating from the University of Washington, he joined the United States Air Force and served three tours as a B-52 radar navigator during the Vietnam War. He made the Air Force his career, taking his family to such glamorous places a Blytheville, AR, Merced, CA, Montgomery, AL, Kincheloe, MI, Shreveport, LA, and Wichita, KS, making lifelong friends along the way. He retired from the United States Air Force after 26 years of service and began a second career with Lockheed Martin at Kings Bay, GA. It was then that he and his wife moved to Fernandina Beach, FL where they continued to live after his retiring a second time.

He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, who loved golfing, gardening, fishing, attending his granddaughter’s dance recitals, and watching FOX News.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 10:30 a.m. at Holy Trinity Anglican Church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that those who wish to remember Dave in a special way, may make a remembrance to Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 1830 Lake Park Drive, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034.