Robert L. Turner, Jr., 89, passed away June 2, 2013 in Salina, Kansas. He was born to Robert L . Turner, Sr. and Iva Price Turner, in Madill, Oklahoma on May 24, 1924.
Mr. Turner was preceded death by his loving wife of 35 years, Vada Stoppel Turner, and his sister Florene Mahaffey. Survivors include two sons, Robert L. Turner, III and his wife, Karen, of Marietta, GA; Rodney L. Turner and his wife, Sheryl, of Mission Hills, KS, and Memphis, TN; and four grandchildren; Michael L. Turner and Megan L. Turner of Kansas City; Robert L. Turner, IV and Lacey L. Turner of Marietta, GA.
Following graduation from Madill High School he attended Oklahoma State University, until enlisting in the in U.S. forces in World War II. He served from 1943 to 1946 as an Officer in the U.S. Air Force, in his role as a captain flying C-46 and C-47 aircraft in many successful missions over the treacherous Himalaya “The Hump” Mountains. He was a proud lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. One of the highlights of his later years, was a 2010 Central Prairie Honor Flight which took WWII veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit the WWII memorial.
From 1946 through 1952 Mr. Turner was co-owner of the Dorrance Mercantile store, in Dorrance, KS. He served as a Regional Sales Manager covering the state of Kansas for 50 years, working for Mallable Iron Range Company and later Kansas Electric Supply, before retiring in 1978.
Bob Turner raised his family in Manhattan, Kansas from 1954 through 1976, and had lived in Salina, for the last 37 years. He was a proud father and grandfather, maintained a sharp wit and story telling ability, and enjoyed following college sports.
Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Thursday June 6, 2013 at the Immanuel Lutheran Church, 255 South Seventh, Salina. Burial will be at 1 p.m. that afternoon in the Dorrance Cemetery, Dorrance, KS. Friends may call at the Ryan Mortuary on Wednesday from noon until 8 p.m. Memorials are suggested to the church.
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Violet V. Baker, 78, of Salina, died Friday, May 31, 2013, from a three-year battle of cancer. She was born Dec. 1, 1934, in Salina.
In Violet’s spare time, she enjoyed spending time with family, grandchildren and “extended family.”
Preceded in death by: parents, Edward and Irma (Tinkler) VanNess; and birth mother, Leota VanNess.
Survivors: daughters, Vanessa Baker Stanford and husband, Roman, Elaine Grillo and husband, Larry, Lisa Graham and husband, Richard; grandchildren, Makayla and McKenzie Stanford, Chad and Danielle Garman, Michael, Jami and Kelsey Brown; and seven great-grandchildren.
Visitation: 4-8 p.m. Tuesday, June 4, with family receiving friends from 6-8 p.m. at Ryan Mortuary, Salina. Funeral: 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 5, at Belmont Boulevard Nazarene Church, Salina. Private entombment will follow at Roselawn Memorial Park.
Memorials: Tammy Walker Cancer Center or Salina Animal Sheleter.