Virginia Ellen "Ginger" Turner

1955 - 2020

Las Vegas, Nev. - Virginia Ellen "Ginger" Curtis Turner, 64, passed away peacefully the morning of March 21, 2020, in her home in Las Vegas, Nev., due to cardio-pulmonary failure and complications from chemotherapy.

Ginger was born in New Orleans, La., July 22, 1955, the eldest daughter of Henry "Bud" Curtis and Grace M. Curtis. She married Rob Turner of Mount Desert, Maine June 7, 1975, and would continue to remain a loyal and supportive wife for the rest of her life, while remaining true to herself and her convictions. She graduated from Waterford High School in 1973, and Wellesley College in 1976, a year earlier than anticipated, and pursued her career in accounting even as she traveled around the globe due to moves necessitated by her husband's U.S. Coast Guard career. Hard-working and self-sacrificing, she carried on her accounting career in several states and cities. She lived in Elizabeth City, N.C., and then Champaign, Ill., where she attended the University of Illinois for her accounting degree. From 1981 to 1984, she worked for Arthur Young in New Orleans, and later in New York City from 1984 to 1986, rising to the position of accounting manager. She then traveled across the pond to London, where she lived for three years, before crossing back again to Fountain Valley, Calif., and finally, Las Vegas, Nev. In every place she resided, she provided a kind, gentle strength that made every new locale home for her husband and children.

Ginger resided in Fountain Valley, Calif., for twenty-six years, during which time she worked as senior accountant for the city of Irvine and as principal accountant for the Department of Water and Power in Anaheim, retiring in 2015. In addition to being a loving wife and mother, she selflessly dedicated herself to supporting others in her community.

Those who met Ginger always found that she looked for the good in everybody. She remained a faithful friend to the many people she met through her work, her community and her hobbies. She always had a kind word to say and a sincere and gentle spirit to share, which she extended to others through her support of the American Legion and Disabled American Veterans. An avid reader, she frequented her local libraries with her children in each of the cities where she resided, and she continued her love of books in her home throughout her life. She was rarely seen without one novel nearly finished or one just being started nearby. She encouraged and instilled a love of parks, gardens and wildlife in her children, and was a supporter of several related charities and organizations, such as the Sierra Club and the National Parks Foundation. She remained upbeat and positive for those who knew her, and even as she courageously fought her cancer, she maintained her sense of humor and showed continual kindness and openness to her neighbors, friends, and above all, her family.

Ginger was predeceased in January of this year by her father, Bud, and by her mother, Grace, in 2006, residents of Waterford for 60 years, both of whom she loved and cared for dearly. She is survived by her husband, Rob Turner of Las Vegas, Nev.; and her three children, Benjamin Turner of Las Vegas, Nev., Rachel Turner of Redwood City, Calif. and Emily Turner of Huntington Beach, Calif. She is also survived by four siblings: Bethanne Curtis of Carolina Beach, N.C., Henry F. Curtis Jr., of Mystic, Richard R. Curtis (Merryann) of Canaan, N.H. and Gracemarie Curtis of Boxford, Mass.

A Memorial Service will be scheduled at a date, place and time yet to be determined. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Heart Association or the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance.