Turner White III

Turner White, III

Turner White, III, passed away peacefully on August 21, 2011 at home. Turner was involved closely with the growth and development of the Springfield community from the time he began a career in the practice of law in 1948 until his retirement as general counsel of City Utilities of Springfield in 1995. He was an assistant prosecutor in Greene County early in his career, in private practice for over 30 years and concluded his practice in municipal utility law. He served as an officer in the US Army in Asia in World War II.

Turner was born on March 5, 1921 to Helen Smith White and Turner White, Jr. He was married to Marjorie Dearing White, who died in 1999. Together they had two sons, Steve and Turner, both of whom survive him, as do their wives, Terry Zeis White and Susan Bennett White, respectively. His grandchildren, Bryan White and his wife, Candace; Chris White and his wife, Liz; Laura White; Seth White; and, Ethan White also survive him. His great-grandchildren, Jackson Turner White and Elaina Rae White, survive him and live with their parents, Bryan and Candace.

His interests went well beyond the practice of law, for which he had a deep respect and admiration. He was involved briefly in local and state politics and, in addition to his position as assistant Greene County prosecutor, was elected a member of the Springfield R-12 Board of Education and served as president for a term. He also ran unsuccessfully in 1970 for the Missouri State Senate. He was a private pilot, a horseman of saddle, harness and draft horses, an amateur blacksmith and a sometimes golfer about which he said in an interview during an off-gain period in his game, "…you can only support so many bad habits." He was a member and served as president of the Greene County Bar Association, president of the board of the Greene County Guidance Clinic and served on the Missouri Appellate Judicial Commission.

Turner was a legacy of a long-time , distinguished Greene County family that arrived from southeastern Tennessee in 1853 and settled on a farm in northeast Springfield. His great-grandfather, William White, was a founding member of the Antioch Church and is buried in its churchyard, the Antioch Cemetery. His grandfather, Turner White, was in the first graduating class of Drury College. He practiced law for many years in Springfield and was appointed a commissioner of the Missouri Supreme Court that was followed by his election as a justice. His father, Turner White, Jr., an electrical engineer, was the first superintendent of Bagnell Dam when the Lake of the Ozarks was completed and opened. His uncle, Warren White, was for many years a circuit judge of Greene County. Turner graduated from Central High School, from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and from the Washington University School of Law. He was a member of the Missouri Bar Association and the New Mexico Bar Association. He was a captain in the Field Artillery of the US Army during World War II and saw action in India, China and Burma. He was a Life Elder of National Avenue Christian Church in Springfield. He leaves a loving family and many, many friends, associates and acquaintances as his legacy to all of us.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, August 25 at 11:00 AM National Avenue Christian Church. A reception will follow the service. A private interment will be in the family plot at Hazelwood Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Salvation Army.