Doye Turley

Doye "Buck" Turley Doye "Buck" Turley, 90, of Stephenville, passed away on August 3, 2022. Services were held on August 5 and he was laid to rest at the West End Cemetery in Stephenville, Tx. Doye was born September 16, 1931 in Erath County to A. G. Turley and Bertha "Merrill" Turley. He said that on the same night that he was born, a colt was also born and for this reason, his grandmother gave him the nickname 'Buckshot'. From that time on, he was known as "Buck". He was one of seven children with 4 brothers and 2 sisters: one sister died in infancy. Growing up, he attended several rural schools including Evergreen and Alexander. He went to work at the ripe old age of 16 at Fitzgerald's Nursery. He later moved into town and boasted that he'd been eating at Jake and Dorthy's since practically the first day they'd opened in 1948. He joined the marines along with his brother, "Dob" Turley, during the Korean War in 1952. Although Buck never had to ship out overseas, California seemed like a foreign land to him and he couldn't wait to get back home to Texas. Buck always loved music, especially country music and Bluegrass. He appreciated fine instruments and would've loved to visit the home town of Stradivarius as he considered him the finest maker of all time. He was a member of a band, The Sunset Playboys, around 1955. He played the steel guitar and said that after a year or so, they decided they had to quit and get real jobs. A favorite family story and one we loved for him to tell over and over through the years was about the time Elvis came to perform at the Rec Center in Stephenville. Elvis had arrived ahead of the vehicle loaded with the band's instruments and when it came almost time for him to go on stage, Elvis was without a guitar. Buck was approached regarding the problem, ran and borrowed a guitar from a friend, tuned said guitar, and handed it to Elvis. Elvis said to Buck, "Thank you, man". Buck was working at Clay's Building Material when he met the love of his life, Bennie Ruth Cardwell. They were married in 1957 at Valley Grove Baptist Church where they were members for many years. This union brought them 2 daughters: Karla Deann and Kerry Lynn. Buck was a great father and excelled at doing all the fun activities with his girls. From fishing, camping, swimming, to stamp-collecting, cards, and puzzles, to attending plays and taking trips around Texas, to many more activities, he did his best to give them all he could. Buck worked at the Stephenville Post Office for 10 years, sold real estate for several years, and retired with almost 20 years at Bruner's Car Sales. He also sold Knapp shoes, encyclopedias, insurance, and other part time jobs to make ends meet. He loved playing music on his own and with friends. He was a regular at the Glenrose Bluegrass Festival and made several treks to Memphis and Nashville. He loved hearing the music and almost just as much, he loved learning about the stars and collecting trivia about his favorite artists. He was an avid reader. His favorite books were anything about Texas history and The Bible. He was a proud American but a prouder Texan. He loved visiting the Alamo, Lyndon Johnson's home and library, the Capital, and maybe most of all, The Texas State Cemetery. In later years, he enjoyed trips to Las Vegas, Branson, and Oklahoma. He loved spending time with family and never passed up an opportunity to say "I love you and I'm PROUD of you!" to his kids and grandkids. He loved his wife Bennie; they celebrated 65 years together on May 18th, 2022. He was forever thankful that he'd found her and credited her with his health, longevity, and ultimate happiness. Preceded in death by his parents and all his siblings, he leaves behind his beloved wife, Bennie Turley, 2 daughters, Karla Burleson and husband Gerry, Kerry Shaw and husband Tony, 4 grandkids, Eli Burleson, Joshua Shaw, Jared Shaw and wife Maggie, and Hannah Shaw, 6 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great grandchild, 2 sisters-in-law, and numerous nieces and nephews. He will be missed!