Woodrow Wilson Turner

Woodrow W. “Woody” Turner, passed away on Thursday, February 2, 2017. He was born on March 26, 1934 in Memphis, TN to Woodrow W. and Margaret S. (Switzler) Turner. He lost his mother in 1945 and was raised by his uncle and aunt, Claude and Era Mae Switzler. All of whom preceded him in death. Woody is survived by his wife of thirty-eight years, Nancy; son, Gary of Tucson; daughters, Donna of Tucson, Margaret (Mike) of San Diego and Carolyn “Missy” (Joe) of Chandler; ten grandchildren; and two great grandsons. The mother of his children, Martha Sue Henry, also survives. He was a chemist with Ranchers Cotton Oil in Fresno, when he was offered the Laboratory Manager position for Ranchers, at their new facility in Chandler. In 1962, he moved his young family to Arizona. A short time later, Dr. Bart Cardon offered him the position of Lab Manager at EFCO Laboratories, a division of Arizona Feeds. In 1970 Nancy joined EFCO Labs. Woody and Nancy were married in 1978. They opened Turner Laboratories, Inc. in March of 1984 and owned and operated the lab for thirty years. Turner Laboratories specialized in environmental analysis of water, soils and hazardous wastes. The laboratory continues to operate under new ownership. Woody’s favorite pastime was golf and all things golf. You could find Woody and his son, Gary, on a golf course on just about any given Sunday. He was a WW II history buff and a collector of books. He belonged to the American Oil Chemist Society, Arizona Laboratory Association, Southern Arizona Environmental Management Society, the American Legion, Fraternal Order of Eagles, the NRA and the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks. A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 26, 2017, at the Tucson Elks Lodge #385, 1800 N. Oracle Road, in Tucson. The family requests that donations in his memory be made to the charity of your choice.