John Anthony Turturro

Vite... Visione...Veritas

John was a true Renaissance man. Loving and charismatic, brave, and courageous, gentle, and kind, with a positive spirit that exuded intellect, curiosity and understanding. John saw the world differently than most, and there also was his wicked sense of humor, that we all loved so much.

A wildly talented and brilliant designer, teacher, confidante, loyal friend and brother, John created a successful design business, Turturro Design Studio, as well as mentored hundreds of students over the years, teaching Architecture and Design classes at Ventura College, College of The Canyons, and Woodbury University for over 2 decades. Many of his students went on to create successful design careers, which is a wonderful legacy for John.

The projects that John was most proud of included The Jump House, Ojai, CA, 3 Palms, Mussel Shoals, CA and his current project, a new state-of-the-art kennel for The Ventura County Humane Society in Ojai.

John's crowning achievements, however, were being a loyal and devoted husband to his soul mate, Karen Donato and a loving uncle to his niece, Francesca Iannaccone. He was also an avid animal lover.

John loved to cook and was a master gardener (he learned from his father, Joe) and it was fun to see John driving his vintage 450 SL (which he lovingly restored), around town or in the Central Coast Wine Country, for a fabulous lunch and a day of antiquing.

Some of John and Karen's favorite memories were made in the Santa Barbara, Hawaii, New York, and Paris, although just walking in the hills above their home and admiring their stunning views, in recent years, were the most gratifying.

John leaves behind a lasting, legacy of laughter and love for those who were fortunate enough to know him.

We would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Andrew Hendifar, and team at Cedars Sinai, who have treated John for metastatic liver NETS since 2014.

John was a brilliant fighter, a true success story and an inspiration to many.

A celebration of John's life will be planned for a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in John's honor to The VC Humane Society, Ojai CA/New Kennel Project. We will get that kennel built!

Rest in Peace my love, until we meet again.