Fern (Irene) Williams Turner, age 99, passed away January 2, 2023 in Waco, Texas. Irene was born July 11, 1923 in Saint Louis, Missouri to Fern Fast Williams and Daniel D. Williams. She was the eldest of 10 brothers and sisters raised on a farm in the Centralia, Missouri area. She graduated from Centralia High School. It was there she met her husband, Morris Nelson Turner. Her husband served in the Army during WWII and in 1948 he rejoined the Army which started their life of travel. They and their daughters lived in Japan and Germany as well as various posts in the USA.
Upon her husband’s military retirement, they returned to Missouri where Irene went back to school to be a practical nurse and then an operating room technician. She worked at the University Hospital and the VA Hospital in Columbia, Missouri.
Irene was a gifted quilter. She even designed her own quilts. One quilt was featured on the cover of a quilting magazine. She was also an avid genealogy researcher and was a member of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution; National Society of the Daughters of 1812; National Society of the Daughters of the American Colonist; National Society of the Dames of the Court of Honor; National Society of the Colonial Dames XVII; National Society of the Daughters of the Colonial Wars; National Society of the Sons and Daughters of the Pilgrims; Daughters of Union Veterans, Civil War; First Families of Ohio.
When Irene and her husband finally retired, they loved spending the cold winter months in the Rio Grande Valley doing lay mission work. They joined Campers On Mission and they worked on both sides of the border to serve people by building, repairing, sewing and giving medical attention.
Irene was preceded in death by her parents; sisters, Marilyn Williams and Bette Powers; brothers, Darwin, Earl and Raymond Williams and grandson, Kyle Turner King.
She is survived by her sisters, Bernice Wulff of Columbia, Mo.; Selma Burnett (Donald) of Centralia, Mo.; Gayle McCoy of Columbia, Mo. and brother, Martin Williams (Suzy) of Bend, Or.
She is also survived by her three daughters, Norris King (John) of Memphis, Tennessee; Becky Whithaus (Jerry) of Waco, Texas and Dana Turner of Houston, Texas and her grandchildren, Scott King (Duang) of Thailand; Shannon Benson (Mark) of Waco, Texas and Jessica Kuhlman,(Stefan) of Dickinson, Texas and her great grandchildren, Reilly King; Andrew Benson; Annalise Benson; Wren Kuhlman and Koda Kuhlman.
The interment of Irene’s ashes will be in the Columbarium at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia along side her husband.
