Warren H. Turner

Warren Turner Obituary
WARREN HARVEY TURNER
It's difficult at first to accept the comfort of memories when we so recently had Warren (and Dad, Daddley, Grandpa, Uncle Warren) here in flesh and blood and laughter and mostly jovial orneriness. Perhaps as is fitting though, the man himself had a perspective on how to manage it.
Addressing his son Dennis's funeral service in 1999, Warren observed that, even when our loved ones are alive, most of the time all we have are memories of them. When they leave to run errands or head to bed early, to us they only exist in our heads until we experience them in person again. It follows, he said, that when our loved ones die, what's lost is the ability to make new memories with them; the relationship, experienced mostly as memories as it always has been, remains. In that way, he said, "it's like they just walked out of the room." About grief, he was stoic that way.
About everyday pastimes though (and there were many), he was enthusiastic, inquisitive, amused and amusing, interested and interesting. Born in East St. Louis (pronounced "Loo-ey," as he was quick to point out) in 1931, he developed a lifelong love of baseball and jazz. His loyalty to the St. Louis Browns outlived the team itself by 72 years, and even in the hours before his passing he was tapping his toes as we played Bunk Johnson, Benny Goodman and Lionel Hampton. He loved the classical music his parents Carrell and Hazel shared with him too - especially Beethoven. Even into his 90s he talked about his early life in Belleville, Illinois, along with the summers he and his siblings spent with grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins on their farms in Iowa.
Professionally, he began his secondary studies at Washington University in St. Louis, before detouring into the Army during the Korean War. Notoriously ungovernable (mostly affably so), he disliked the rigid structure of Army life. But characteristic of Warren, he worked hard anyway and always felt lucky to have been sent to California to build airstrips rather than having to serve in combat. And late in life, he loved wearing the Army cap his son Doug gave him.
When his part of the war was over, he returned to Washington University to study Geology, earning the prestigious Geologist of the Year honor. He went on to become a researcher at Owens-Illinois, then at University of Arizona, and later a senior scientist at PPG in Pittsburgh, where he earned numerous patents and for a time was one of the world's foremost experts in glass technology.
But while work was important to him and he took his responsibilities seriously, his family always came first. When someone needed help, he was always there - rock-solid, calm and calming, and generally with a joke or two to lighten the mood. There was nothing he loved more than getting together with family for good meals and red wine, and especially, hanging out with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, whom he and wife Judy babysat as frequently as possible - often weekly, which was a win-win-win for grandparents, parents and kids. He and Judy, along with assorted kids, grandkids, great-grandkids and other family members also took every opportunity to travel together, from long-distance road trips and visits with family in the US and UK, to exploring Europe and enjoying annual family beach weeks.
Warren's hobbies and interests were wide-ranging. He loved to play sports, first baseball and basketball, and in later years tennis and softball. A car guy his whole life, he restored antique Ford V-8s, was an active member of the Early Ford V-8 Club of America, judged car shows and co-authored a book on 1946-1948 Fords. Beyond the Ford world, he had always dreamed of owning a vintage Ferrari, and eventually in the early 1980s he and Judy got one. A deeply down-to-earth and unpretentious person, he prided himself on having bought it back when it was relatively affordable, and keeping it in its original "patina'd" condition. He taught his daughter Josie to drive stick in that car, and loved driving (never trailering!) it to vintage car shows in and out of state. Taking it and a picnic to the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix "Cortile" became an annual family tradition.
In addition, Warren was a voracious reader who loved language and wordplay and was fond of pointing out that he had studied English in addtion to his scientific background. He was quick with a pun and liked his humor witty and absurdist - from PG Wodehouse and Mark Twain to Abbott and Costello and Monty Python. Even in his last years when he endured multiple hospital stays as well as dementia, he would surprise people with a funny aside or impressive act of vocabulary.
Warren died April 18, 2025 at the age of 93, surrounded by the love and comfort of his family. Judy, always with him through thick and thin, was joined by their children and spouses. Multiple adult grandkids and great-grandkids interrupted travel and university end-of-term studies, traveling from near and far to be with him before he passed, as he had always been there for them. Family who couldn't make it in person were there in spirit.
Those cherishing his memory include his wife of 55 years, Judy, son Doug and daughter-in-law Lea, daughter Josie and son-in-law Ray, daughter-in-law Barbara, grandkids Nikki and her spouse Nick, Staci, Phillip, Max, Emily, Mariel, Marianne, Pocholo, Mariz, Patrick and his spouse Hannah, and Rachel, and great-grandkids Austin, Phoenix, Damlen, Severin, Ari, Quinn, Piper and Fox, along with sisters- and brothers-in-law Bonnie, Nancy, Pat and Emmett, Tom, Anne and many nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, and faithful kitty-cat Sunny. We also remember the loved ones who "walked out of the room" before Warren, including sons Dennis, Don and David, parents Carrell and Hazel, siblings David, Allan and Judy, parents-in-law Tom and Margie, brothers-in-law Rudy and Roy and sister-in-law Hazel Jean.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Warren Turner's name to the Early Ford V-8 Foundation or the Dementia Society of America. Loved ones will gather to celebrate his memory this summer near his birthday, and his ashes will be interred at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies. In the meantime, we ask that you raise a glass and enjoy your favorite Warren story. Warren, Dad, Daddley, Grandpa and Uncle Warren, you are remembered and infinitely loved.
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