Mary Louise Turner

Mary Louise Turner
May 10, 1936 - April 1, 2023
Mary Louise Turner, the daughter of Lucien J Turner and Mabel Vader Turner, left us on April 1, 2023, in San Francisco, CA, after several months struggling to recover from a fall. Mary was Lucien and Mabel's only child, but she was raised on a farm in Eastern Oregon among a large Turner family, which included Lucien's brothers and sisters and their children, so she was never alone.
Mary attended the two-room Jefferson Grade School, graduating as one of the nine student class of 1950. After graduating from Weiser (Idaho) High School, she enrolled at Willamette University (Salem, Oregon), earning a degree in Psychology in 1958. Soon after, she re-located to San Francisco and continued her education to study for a secondary teaching credential at San Francisco State University. She put her credential to use in a long career in the English Department at George Washington High School. An avid reader herself, she specialized in teaching reading from the remedial to the critical level.
Mary was an enthusiastic participant in as many Bay Area cultural activities as she could find time: SF Opera, SF Symphony, and theater offerings from tiny venues to major houses. She also made use of her memberships in various museums and academic societies. But she also kept close watch on the SF Giants.
During summer breaks and especially after she retired, Mary enjoyed traveling with friends. She crossed the U.S. and Canada by car several times and later broadened her reach to visit Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. And as usual, she continued her education in her retirement by enrolling in just about every session at the Fromm Institute for Lifelong Learning.
At first acquaintance Mary was often known as "quiet." But beneath that calm exterior was an intelligent, informed individual with a wonderful, wry sense of humor. Above all she was kind and generous; with her attention, with her time, and with her help in ways minor and major. She will be missed by many friends, especially her long-time housemate Norma Randig, as well as many cousins scattered across the country, in particular Kathryn Turner Baker, Ray and Bonnie Turner of Idaho, and David and Margaret Lowell of Florida.
It was her wish to buried with her parents in Weiser, Idaho.
Tributes in her name to the Fromm Institute, 2130 Fulton Street, San Francisco CA 94117-1080 would please Mary, as would any donation to a favorite environmental or animal welfare organization, both of which she strongly supported.