Thomas Edward Turner

1934 - 2020

Thomas Edward Turner

Thomas Edward Turner, 86, died of pancreatic cancer on June 13, 2020, at his home in Madisonville. Born June 6, 1934, he grew up on the family farm in Christian County, the fifth of the seven children of George and Nellie Soyars Turner.

In his early years, Tom attended the one-room St. Elmo School along with his brothers and sisters. At Pembroke High School, among the tiny class of 1952, he became the school's basketball star (breaking the county record by scoring 38 points in a single game) and was named "Best All-Around Athlete," "Most Popular" and "Best Looking Boy." He earned a tryout from legendary coach E.A. Diddle for a walk-on spot on the Western Kentucky University basketball team. But the tryout made Tom realize that the competition was much fiercer than the boys he'd played with in Christian County, so he dropped out of college and joined the Air Force instead. He spent several years in Japan in the early to mid-1950s, inspecting radar equipment and traveling extensively throughout the country when he had the opportunity.

Once his military service ended, Tom looked up Jean Smith, a farm girl he first met at a 4-H Club event in 1952. After a bit of assistance from Jean's mother (involving a strategically withheld letter from Jean's college boyfriend), the two were married, and Tom resumed his college education at Austin Peay State University. One day Jean's father, R.T. Smith, called Tom and offered to help the couple buy a farm in Hopkins County. Tom farmed the land for several years, becoming active in the local Farm Bureau. But making a living on a small family farm was difficult with industrialized agriculture on the rise, and Tom's interests and career took a different turn. In 1965, Tom sought the Democratic nomination for a state representative seat and, though the close race was unsuccessful, that experience plus a friendship with respected attorney Mike Mills led him from farming to the practice of law.

Tom returned to Austin Peay and finished college, then earned a degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law. A decade older than his classmates, with a wife and two children, Tom still managed to finish his studies early. After passing the bar, he returned to western Kentucky and began his new career. Joining Mills, Spain & Mitchell in 1970, Tom continued to practice law in Madisonville into his 80s. A true old-fashioned small-town lawyer, Tom handled everything from family law to estates and real estate to civil trial practice. Tom truly loved the law and, while he did not turn away from representing wealthy clients and businesses, he was happiest when helping right wrongs done to less fortunate individuals. For many years he was on the board of the Kentucky Bar Foundation, "the charitable arm of Kentucky's legal community," serving as its president in the mid-1990s.

Tom also devoted his energies to mental health issues, helping to bring Trace Industries, an adult day training program for adults with disabilities, to Madisonville. His adored daughter Buffy still works there. Tom was an instrumental part of the board of Camp MARC, where mentally and physically handicapped adults are provided the opportunity to have a summer camp experience, serving as its chairman multiple times over decades.

When not working, Tom could almost always be found outdoors—hunting, fishing, scouting out new places to hunt and fish, or passing along some of his encyclopedic hunting and fishing lore to younger persons less experienced in outdoor life. No matter the weather, Tom would begin each day by saying to whomever he was with: "It sure is a pretty morning."

Tom's love for wild spaces and game began on the farm of his uncle, Bill Ed Soyars. As boys, Tom and his best friend, James Fort, hunted every day after school. As Fort described it to a mutual friend, "We were both poor, but I had a gun and Tom had two dogs." The two boys brought home quail and other game for their families' dinners, beginning a tradition and friendship lasting over three quarters of a century. Even after a kidney transplant and age-related mobility issues, Tom could still be found crawling into boats, squeezing into duck blinds and scaling ladders into deer stands. In his 80s Tom made multiple trips to Louisiana, supervising production of a computer-assisted boat that he hoped would allow him to fish as long as possible, a vessel his family nicknamed "Robot Boat." Illness prevented Tom from realizing the full potential of "Robot Boat," but he was happy his meticulous oversight meant the boat brought delight to his step-grandson, Brendan Christ, one of the myriad young men Tom mentored in outdoor activities.

A lover of travel, Tom roamed all over the U.S. and Canada hunting and fishing, and often visited beaches and cities such as New Orleans and Charleston with his family. Once, in New Orleans, one of his favorite cities, Tom was mistaken for Phil Donahue by the staff at Dooky Chase's famous restaurant. (His lush mane of silver hair, athletic build and magnetic personality earned him many such comparisons, most often to Andy Griffith as "Matlock.") While he enjoyed celebrating birthdays in Crescent City restaurants, Tom spent his last at home enjoying his childhood favorite white cake with chocolate icing, baked by his daughter Michelle.

Tom is survived by his wife of 62 years, Jean Smith Turner, his two daughters, Michelle Turner (Stephen Hacker) and Buffy Turner, two sisters, Jo Nelle Tribble and Dean Norfleet, and seventeen nieces and nephews.

Part of Tom's ashes will return to the earth near those of his beloved son, Ross Turner, at Bethlehem Church Cemetery in Anton. The rest will be scattered by dear hunting friends, including Major Bacon and the Bacon boys, at one of his favorite spots, deep in the woods. "Huntsman, rest! thy chase is done."

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, there will be no funeral. While expressions of sympathy may be given to Trace Industries, 1235 West Noel Ave., Madisonville, KY 42431, or Camp MARC (https://www.campmarc.org/donate-2/), the family asks that you celebrate Tom's life by getting outdoors and realizing that every day begins with a pretty morning.