Mary Louise Turner

Obituary

Class of 1953

5/10/1936 – 4/1/2023

Mary Louise Turner , the daughter of Lucien J. Turner and Mabel (Vader) Turner, passed away on April 1, 2023 in San Francisco, Calif., after several months struggling to recover from a fall. 

Mary was Lucien and Mabel’s only child, but she was raised on a farm on the Oregon side among the large Turner Family, which included Lucien’s brothers and sisters and their children, so she was never alone.

Mary attended the two-room Jefferson Grade School, graduating as one of the nine student class of 1950. 

After graduating from Weiser High School, she enrolled at Willamette University (Salem, Oregon), earning a degree in Psychology in 1958. Soon after she re-located to San Francisco and continued her education to study for a secondary teaching credential at San Francisco State University. She put her credential to use in a long career in the English department at George Washington High School. 

An avid reader herself, she specialized in teaching reading from the critical level to the remedial. 

Mary continued her education in her retirement by enrolling in just about every session at the Fromm Institute for Lifelong Learning. She also participated in as many Bay Area cultural activities as she could find time, and she loved to travel. Her visits included Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand as well as destinations in Canada and the United States. 

Mary will be missed by many friends, especially her long-time housemate Norma Randig as well as many cousins, in particular Kathryn Turner Baker of Weiser and Ray (Bonnie) Turner of Fruitland. 

It was her wish to be buried with her parents at Hillcrest Cemetery. 

A service to celebrate Mary’s life will be held at Thomason Funeral Home on Thursday, May 25 at 1 p.m.

From Weiser Signal-American – May 17, 2023