Ronald Turner Obituary

Ronald Jay Turner, a registered geologist and environmental consultant, passed away on December 1, 2005 in Colorado Springs, CO. Ron is survived by his wife, Julianne; his son, Alex and daughter, Angela of Monument CO. He is also survived by his mother, Cecilia Dale of Lewiston, ID; his brother, Nick Turner of Walnut Creek, CA; his sisters: Susan Lightfield of Lewiston, ID; Lisa Fabrique of Lewiston, ID and Julie Eames of Lafayette, CA and all their families. Ron was born on November 26, 1951 to Cecilia and Robert Kleyn-Schoorel in Oakland, CA. Ron grew up in Lewiston, ID were he spent many summers canvassing the town, hills, valleys, rivers and lakes with many wonderful childhood friends. He also won numerous blue ribbons for his extensive rock collections. He attended Lewiston High School where he was a member of the high school wrestling team and won State in his weight class as a junior. He received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Idaho where he triple-majored in Geology, Anthropology and Archeology, and was a member of the SAE fraternity. He went on to receive his Master's degree in Hydrogeology from Cal State Fullerton in California. Ron's restless heart to see the world took him to Oregon, Southern California, Sudan, Africa, Alaska, Utah, Arizona and finally Colorado. While in Sudan, Africa, he managed a USAID project to locate and process a new water resource for the town of Gedareff. Upon returning to the United States, he worked on hydrogeology projects in Alaska and Utah before landing in Phoenix, AZ, where he entered the field of environmental consulting and began learning how to heal the earth. While in Phoenix, Ron met Julianne and taught her how to flyfish; a sport he passionately pursued throughout his lifetime. During their courtship, they flyfished on the Colorado River at Lees Ferry, the middle fork of the Salmon River in Idaho and the trophy lakes in the White Mountains of Arizona. On one of their many excursions, Julianne outfished him, so Ron decided to propose to her on the edge of the Grand Canyon, where they later rafted down the Colorado River for ten days. They moved to Monument, CO, where Ron worked as an Environmental Consultant and owned his own company, K-S & Company. He carried with him a fierce determination to preserve and protect the earth through his environmental expertise by protecting wetlands, shutting down old landfills and permitting mines to ensure that the land was reclaimed back to its natural state. A natural born rockhound, Ron was passionate about his profession; where he could be in the outdoors and experience nature at its fullest. He used to say, "where else could I work that allows me to wear my waders, walk around in wetlands, identify plants and wildflowers, while antelope roamed nearby?" Ron's two children: Alex and Angela, were his pride and joy in life. With Alex, he actively participated in scouting, rock climbing, bowling, snowboarding and homework. With Angie, he loved to play the "don't look at me" game. A Memorial Service will be held in Monument, CO on Monday, December 5, 2005 at 2:00 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church, Hwy 105, Monument. A reception will follow the services in the Fellowship Hall. The Monument Community of friends have set up a memorial fund through Sertoma to assist the Turners with financial needs in the coming months. Please send donations to Monument Hill Sertoma, P.O. Box 102, Monument, CO 80132, reference "The Ron Turner Fund" in the memo section of your check. Ron's family would like to thank the nurses and staff on the 7th and 10th floors at Penrose Main Hospital for providing a compassionate and caring environment over the last few months. If you would like to share any memories of Ron with his family, please email Julianne at [email protected].