Lee Turner

When it came to delighting the world with music, Lee Turner was in a class by himself. For over 70 years, he constantly amazed young and old alike with his extraordinary musical gifts, whether it was writing, arranging, singing, or lighting up the room with his prodigious and electrifying piano technique.

Lee passed away suddenly on March 5, 2026, at the age of 89, leaving behind adoring family, friends, and countless fans.

Leland Smith Turner Jr. was born on November 22, 1936, in Jacksonville, Florida. He and his wife Dianne both attended church since childhood and were baptized at Main St. Baptist Church. They met as teenagers on a church outing and were sweethearts at Andrew Jackson High School. They married while Lee was an Advertising major at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

While at the University of Florida, Lee was pianist for The Dream Weavers, who had a popular twice-weekly radio show and performed at personal appearances. In 1955, the group recorded It's Almost Tomorrow, written by members Gene Adkinson and Wade Buff. On January 1, 1956, The Dream Weavers performed the song on The Ed Sullivan Show in New York City. The song spent 22 weeks on the charts where it reached the top ten. Another song, Into the Night (music by Lee, words by Wade Buff), was recorded by the group that year and reached number 82 on the charts.

After graduation, Lee and Dianne moved to Louisville, Kentucky where Lee graduated with a degree in music from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Lee was a full-time minister of music for nearly 30 years. He served Calvary Baptist (Clearwater, FL), Main St. Baptist (Jacksonville), Jacksonville Beach First Baptist, and San Jose Baptist (Jacksonville). While at First Baptist Jacksonville Beach, Lee wrote an arrangement of Amazing Grace that was published by Broadman and has been sung by choirs all over the country. He also wrote a tune/arrangement for the Old Irish Blessing, May the Road Rise to Meet You, that has been extensively used, and is in the Choir Supplement for The Baptist Hymnal (1991).

In the early 1970s, Lee met Dick Blanchard (then pastor of First United Methodist Church, Jacksonville, and writer of Fill My Cup, Lord). They wrote a number of songs together, including Who Moved?, which was recorded and sung in concerts by George Beverly Shea. Meanwhile, Dianne discovered her talent for writing lyrics. Most of their songs have lyrics by Dianne. The Turners moved to Nashville for two years where Lee played piano and sang on studio sessions, created piano reductions from orchestrations, transcribed music from recordings, and wrote and arranged music.

He transcribed music and wrote arrangements for songs by artists including Bill and Gloria Gaither, Dallas Holm, Buryl Red, Gary S. Paxton, Don Marsh, Rick Powell, and Sam Pottle. In Nashville, the Turners got a chance to experience the music publishing and recording business firsthand. Lee did a collection of choir arrangements, Sunshine In My Soul, that included his Amazing Grace and May the Road Rise to Meet You. He and Dianne wrote a musical, The Church that God Built with Love, which is widely used by adult and youth choirs. They also wrote popular children's musicals They All Sang 'Jesus', and Great Men of God. Together, they created nearly 160 songs.

Lee's catalog also included the popular Make Every Day a Good Day, which he performed for multiple senior centers; his reimagining of Joy to the World into a joyous baroque-style arrangement; and his soulful take on This Is My Father's World. Lee's arrangements are very distinctive and creative, and because of his amazing skill and technique, the piano parts were legendarily challenging, even by other skilled players.

Lee and his family returned to Jacksonville in 1976, where he was a beloved minister of music at San Jose Baptist Church. After retiring from San Jose, he and Dianne became members of Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church. Lee was in constant demand as a pianist for all kinds of events in Jacksonville and surrounding areas. Some of his performances include The Bill Gaither Golf Classic VIP dinner, the Gator Bowl New Year's Eve VIP Party, The Jacksonville Symphony Designer Showcase House, and the Bolles Faculty Christmas Party.

Lee also did a piano concert for Cliff Barrows' Senior Celebration at The Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove (Near Asheville, NC).

In 1998, Lee was asked by Jacksonville's NPR station WJCT-FM (Stereo-90) to do a "Live from the Gallery" concert at The Avenues Mall. It was broadcast on the station twice the following week. His one-hour concert included everything from Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata to "Fats" Waller's Ain't Misbehavin'. Lee tied the selections together with stories about the various composers, and his performance was received enthusiastically by those who attended as well as the radio audience.

His I Love a Piano concerts, with Lee's piano arrangements of old favorites tied together by wonderful stories about the songwriters, played to packed houses wherever he has presented them.

Lee is survived by his wife, Dianne; sons Kelly (Mary) and Gavin (Lori); and four grandchildren: Carmen, Matthew (deceased), Griffin and Emily. He was preceded in death by his son, Leland Smith "Bo" Turner III.

There is an informal gathering scheduled for Friday, March 13, at 10 a.m. at Hendricks Baptist Church,4001 Hendricks Ave, Jacksonville, FL 32207, followed by a memorial service at 11 a.m. The burial is closed to the public.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation to your charitable cause in Lee's honor.

Services under the care of Moloney-Hewell Funeral Home, 4140 University Blvd. S., Jacksonville, FL 32216.