Bob Turley

Bob Turley Alpharetta, GA

Robert Lee Turley (Bullet Bob ), 82 of Alpharetta, GA, passed away on March 30th, 2013 of cancer.

The funeral service will be held on April 12th at 2:00 p.m., at First Baptist Duluth Church 2908 Georgia Highway 120 Duluth, GA 30096.

Bob was born in Troy, IL on September 30, 1930. He grew up in East St. Louis, IL, graduated from Central High School, and starred on the baseball squad.

Bob was married to Janet on November 30, 1964, and reunited with her August 5, 2009.

Bob was signed as an amateur free agent by the St. Louis Browns in 1948. He made his first major league appearance on September 29, 1951. The Browns moved to Baltimore in 1954 and the April 15, 1954 opener at Memorial Stadium was a 3-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox played in front of 46,354 fans. A News-Post editorial called it 'the most thrilling day in Baltimore history since the bombardment of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812.' Bob pitched all nine innings, striking out nine.

Bob, who became known as 'Bullet Bob', was sent to the Yankees as part of a package that also included Don Larsen. The deal involved 17 players and remains the biggest trade in the sport's history. His best year by far was 1958, when he won a league-leading 21 games with only 7 losses, including 19 complete games and 6 shutouts, while striking out 168 and compiling a 2.97 E.R.A. And all that was just the season's prelude to a World Series that baseball fans still talk about as one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the game.

After four games, New York trailed 3 games to 1, and the Yankee prospects looked bleak. Only the 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates had come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a 7-game Series. With the Yankees just one game from elimination, Bob went to work. He threw a shutout in Game 5, picked up a 10th-inning save in Game 6 and won his second in three days in Game 7, giving up only two hits in 6 2/3 innings of shutout relief.

All Star 1954, 1955, 1958; Cy Young Award 1958; World Series MVP 1958; Hickok Belt Award Professional Athlete of the Year 1958; Four Time World Series Champion 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962

Bob's business career was just as stellar as his baseball career. He worked in the financial industry for almost 50 years. In 1977 he joined with Art Williams to found AL Williams, which became the largest financial service organization in North America with over 100,000 representatives. AL Williams was purchased years later and became Primerica Financial Services, from which he retired as a Senior National Sales Director.

He enjoyed mentoring hundreds of people both in and out Primerica. Fishing with his buddies in the Gulf of Mexico was pure joy for him as well as his weekly golf date in Big Canoe. Building and selling homes in Marco Island, FL and North Georgia was one of his passions. In high school he won an award for house design.

He is survived by his wife, Janet; and his children, who he loved very much - Terry, wife Robin (Gatto) and Don, wife Phyllis (Annie), sons of Dollie Turley, Rowena, daughter of Janet Turley, his step children, Kathy Covert and Becky Salyer, daughters of Carolyn Dawson. He leaves many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Bob is preceded in death by his son, Troy.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to: Autism Speaks http://events.autismspeaks .org/tributes/bobturley