Obituary of Roy Turner

Roy Ernest Turner was born to Eva Morrison (Stewart) and George William Turner on July 17, 1928. He grew up on their farm in the Ridgeville District in Manitoba with siblings: Russell, Stewart, Margaret, Velma, Vernon, Calvin, Ross, Joyce, and Morris. He graduated from Pembina High School in ND and attended the University of Minnesota. While traveling with friends, he stopped in Seattle where he found a job at a plumbing and heating company and decided to stay for a while. His next stop was Minneapolis. To meet new friends, he frequented a ballroom dance club. With his fancy footwork, he got the attention of a pretty young thing, Jeanne Hermansen, who ended up being his perfect partner. He waltzed his way into her heart and swept her off her feet. He married her on April 19, 1952. They were married for over 70 years.

Roy worked at Goodin Company in Minneapolis. He considered it a privilege to work at this family-owned plumbing and heating company for 31 years. He enjoyed the relationships with colleagues and the opportunity to mentor and guide younger workers. “The key to ensure that you get things done is to never pick up the same piece of paper twice.” “Go home every night with a clean desk.” Simple but efficient tidbits he loved to share. The company grew tremendously over his tenure. He liked visiting new offices and getting to meet the people in person that he worked with over the phone - no computers back then. Who knew that the job in a Seattle warehouse would lead to a lifelong career? His last position with Goodin was as their Treasurer. He always appreciated visiting and reminiscing with Goodin folks after he retired. He and Jeanne attended many Goodin Christmas parties over the years.

Roy was active in the upbringing of his four children and worked hard to give them the opportunity to graduate from Gustavus Adolphus College: Sharry Hosfield (Gary), Cynthia Haertzen (Mark), Scott (Liz) and Dyann. The family joined Westwood Lutheran Church in the early sixties. They worshipped and served there in many ways. Roy usually said yes when they asked for help and served multiple times on the church council. He and Jeanne coordinated Westwood’s participation in Loaves and Fishes: cooking, serving, and feeding hungry people. He ushered for several years, some of those years on Dyann’s usher team.

Roy brought a bit of the farm to the family home in Minnetonka where he spent hours in the peace and quiet of his garden. Everyone enjoyed the fruits of his labors. He grew wonderful tomatoes, and his raspberries topped many a sundae. His garden kept expanding into the back forty until he had enough space to keep the family and neighborhood supplied with pumpkins, beans, berries, asparagus, cucumbers, and lettuce. After they moved to Plymouth, he dug up Dyann’s back yard to garden there. Generations of his raspberries continue to grow in family gardens today.

Roy fixed things. If you mentioned at dinner that your bike chain was loose, it would be tightened before your next ride. He finished the basement and made the garage into two bedrooms. He changed the lightbulbs the minute they burned out. His desire to have everything in working order served him well as he bought and fixed up apartment buildings as a side hustle. He also did bookwork for small businesses and ran an income tax business from home. For a short while, he and Jeanne had a commercial green house in Crystal.

He loved puzzles. He left the crosswords for Jeanne but did the Sudoku in the daily paper. There was always a puzzle set up in his room at Good Samaritan. People would stop by to visit and add a few pieces. Visits from the greats would invariably include puzzle work and treats! Roy enjoyed playing cards. He knew many Solitaire games, probably a result of long Canadian winters! He played everything from Go Fish with kids and grandkids to Bridge with friends and neighbors and even Blackjack occasionally. He loved teaching kids and grandkids new games and strategies.

Roy was an active person. As a youth, he played baseball, hockey and curled. He enjoyed pitching horseshoes with his family. As an adult, he spent years coaching baseball with Scott. He and Gary and Rob formed a three generation Little League staff for Michael’s team. He was a gentle and soft-spoken coach who encouraged rather than criticized. Grandkids treasure memories of a round of golf with Grandpa. They usually ended up walking the edge of the fairway searching for lost balls. He walked the course with his pull cart well into his eighties. Roy enjoyed going for walks on the trails in his neighborhood. Cynthia would sometimes accompany him with a dog or two. He loved all the family pets, and they loved him. There was usually a dog or cat on his lap or at his feet.

Roy loved all people, but kids best of all. His fondest moments were when his grandchildren and greats were born. He loved spending time with all of them, playing, coaching, and spectating: Rob, Steven, John, Michael, Tyler, Andrew, Joe, and Amy. He loved his growing family. He welcomed Gary, Mark, and Liz. He loved Ashley, Courtney, Erin, Kate, Ralph, and Caleb as they joined the clan, too. When the greats started coming, they were pure joy. Roy always had hold of a tiny hand or foot. He saved his biggest smiles for Emily, Hailey, Hudson, Mia and most recently, Hayden.

Roy passed away peacefully on the morning of May 6, 2023. There will be a memorial service on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, at 11:00 am at Westwood Lutheran Church at 9001 Cedar Lake Road in St. Louis Park. Visitation will be one hour prior at the church. Memorials are preferred to Westwood Lutheran Church Foundation. Roy’s family would like to thank the staff at Good Samaritan and Brighton Hospice for their loving care. They were kind and patient and gentle every day. Roy was a quiet and compassionate soul and role model for all who had the honor of knowing him. He was much loved and will be sadly missed by family and friends.