RODERICK HABINK TURNER

1934 - 2017

TURNER, Dr. Roderick Habink Dedicated Orthopedic Surgeon Roderick Habink Turner, a well-known leader in the world of surgical replacement of hips and knees, died at the North Naples Hospital in Naples, Florida July 1, at age 83. He was born in Warren, Ohio to Robert and Lenora Turner. After graduating first in his class from the Indiana University School of Medicine, Turner served in the United States Air Force, including a residency at Walter Reed Memorial Hospital. His choice to focus on orthopedics brought him to Boston for his residency at Massachusetts General Hospital. He then became an Otto Aufranc Fellow in Reconstructive Hip and Knee Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. Drs. Aufranc and Turner would ultimately team up to invent the revolutionary Aufranc/Turner hip replacement. Dr. Turner then dedicated his professional career toward establishing the New England Baptist Hospital as one of the premier institutions in the country with regard to this orthopedic specialty. Ho was also a professor and clinical instructor at Tufts University School of Medicine, and the author of over 50 publications. Dr. Turner was a voracious reader and an unfailingly intellectually curious student of history. He had a particular interest in the art of scrimshaw and the history of whaling, and was an ardent supporter of the New Bedford Whaling Museum. He also traveled around the globe sharing his wisdom with and learning the practices of local surgeons. He was an avid fan of collegiate and professional sports, particularly the Boston Red Sox, Celtics and New England Patriots. He is survived by his wife Sandra McKay Turner, daughter Cynthia Turner and her husband Carl Harvey, daughter Lynn Surum, son Robert Turner, sister Alice Turner, grandson Roderick Surum and devoted dog, Taco. He was predeceased by his first wife and fellow Indiana University graduate Patricia Distelhorst May 9, 1992. A memorial in honor of Dr. Turner will be held at New England Baptist Hospital on September 27, 2017, at 2 p.m. in the Chapel. For those wishing to make donations in Dr. Turner's memory, the family suggests they be made to: New England Baptist Hospital, Roderick H. Turner, MD Fellowship Fund, Office of Philanthropy, 125 Parker Hill Ave, Boston, MA 02120 or online at www.nebh.org/donateonline.

View the online memorial for Dr. Roderick Habink TURNER