Troy Turk

James "Troy" Turk, 58, died on January 22, 2026. He was born on December 5, 1967 in Pensacola, FL. Troy grew up in several small towns: Spanish Fort, Alabama; Jefferson,Texas; Henderson, Texas; and spent his high school years in Texarkana,Texas. He was raised in the United Methodist Church and was a Christian. His love for music started early. He loved to listen to all kinds of music and he played saxophone. Troy graduated from Pleasant Grove High School as Valedictorian of the class of 1986. He became an SMU Mustang and held various writing, editing, and managerial positions for Rotunda yearbook, The Daily Campus newspaper and Hilltop Video Annual during his college years. Troy graduated with honors and a double major with a BBA in Marketing and a BA in Advertising from the Cox School of Business in 1990.

Troy, already coping with severe asthma from a young age, was diagnosed with Crohn's disease at the age of 18. He suffered silently only complaining to a select few close family members and friends. He persevered and overcame the daily road blocks that this autoimmune disorder presented by compensating with all the other talents he possessed.

After a marketing internship at Capital Bank and an advertising internship at Publicis Groupe, he started a career as an Advertising Media Planner at Bozell then later at Levenson & Hill, Inc. He worked at Chase Paymentech (formerly First USA) as Director of Strategic Marketing & Promotions and in 2000 he joined USA Today in Advertising Sales. He freelanced for Studio Honey .TxT, and Apex Energetics for a number of years continuing to use his communication and creative skills to write copy for various purposes.

Upon news of a nephew on the way, he chose to move to Aliso Viejo, CA in 2001 to be an Uncle where he naturally excelled at the task. He was a Sr. Copywriter for Metagenics in San Clemente, CA. Being the amazing uncle that he was, he chose to work remotely and follow his family back to Texas as he now had a baby niece as well. He called Addison and the Dallas area his home for a number of years where he devoted his time to make sure his family, especially his niece and nephew, knew they were loved by him. After the passing of his mother he moved to Galveston, Texas to enjoy life at the coast. He continued to do freelance work and was a favorite at any local trivia game.

Troy had an infectious laugh finding humor everywhere. His loyalty to his people never waivered. He was the ride or die person for many people in his life. He was a creative, compassionate and sensitive soul, kind, loving, dependable and helpful to a fault. He was smart, a trivia fiend, a game player, a walking dictionary and could recollect a moment as if it was frozen in time. He loved listening to music and the color purple. He was excellent at proof reading and could spot a mistake anywhere, anytime. Troy had the ability to have a conversation with anyone and to see them as they wished the world would see them. He could make the broken feel loved and he always threw away the key to all the secrets he kept for those friends. Troy loved his friends from all facets of his life.
Troy is preceded in death by his beloved mother, Claudette Blumberg Turk (2015). Troy leaves behind his father, James Warren Turk; his sister, Sharon and her husband, Les Yager; and his niece and nephew, Ben and Olivia Yager. Troy skyrocketed to heaven wearing the crown of Best Brother and he will always be known as the best "Uncle" to walk this earth. He leaves an indelible mark in shades of purple on the hearts of additional cousins, family, a beloved aunt, chosen family friends as well as many friends who called him their best friend. Although he never achieved his dream to be a writer for TV, he succeeded in being a part of a life story of many people making their life better because of his love and attention.

A Celebration of Life, a.k.a. Troy's Purple Days will take place in the Dallas area at a later date.