Richard Kenneth Turney

Obituary



Well-known local artist Ken Turney, 97, died peacefully at home on May 21, 2009.

Born in Greensburg, PA on June 22, 1911 to Marcellus R. and Jennie E. Turney, he studied art and architecture at Carnegie Mellon Institute and the University of Pittsburgh. He married the late Dorothy V. Smith on Jan. 1, 1940 and served in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1945.

After a 25-year career in fashion display in Youngstown, OH his love of sailing led to a second career, Ken T. Sailboats Inc. He was a member of Pymatuning Yacht Club and founded Pymatuning Sailing Club in Jamestown, PA.

He moved to Fort Myers in 1979 and began his third career as a watercolor artist. He was a member of the Florida Watercolor Society, BIG Arts, Lee County Alliance of the Arts, Naples Art Association, Sanibel-Captiva Art League, and Fort Myers Beach Art Association, culminating in that group's retrospective of his work in 2007. As president of the Art Council of Southwest Florida, Ken founded the Winners Circle, a biennial exhibit of award-winning artwork.

Survivors include daughters Pamela Richards, Bedford, MA and Marda Jan Gracey, Palm Coast, FL.; grandsons David Richards of Vermont, Scott and Kyle Dyer of Palm Coast and Eric Dyer of Colorado; great-granddaughters Madeline Richards and Evey Dyer; and nephew Ronald Turney of Alabaster, AL.

A private service will be held in Greensburg, PA with interment at St. Clair Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the Fort Myers Beach Art

Association Scholarship Fund, PO Box 2359, Fort Myers Beach, FL 33932, or Southwest Florida Community Foundation (Hunger Relief Fund), 8260 College Parkway-Suite 101, Fort Myers, FL, 33919.