Turner, Julius 'Jess'

Julius “Jess” Turner, 74, of Cedar Rapids, passed away on Saturday, July 14, 2012, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Funeral Mass: 10 a.m. Friday at St. Pius X Catholic Church by the Rev. Phil Thompson. Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home where a rosary will be recited at 5 p.m. Friends may also after 9 a.m. Friday at the church. Entombment at Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery.

He is survived by his wife, Bonnie; his seven children, Randy (Cindy) Turner, Kris (Ron) Anderson-Deyo, Jean (Todd) Matthews, Tammy (Dave) Pollock, Jeff Turner (Lisa Young), Tim Turner and Tara (Brett) Simonsen; grandchildren, Andrew, Mark, Steve, Brittany, Amber, Joshua, Chasity, Charlene, Dalton and Dakota; great-grandchildren, Jameson, Evander, Bode, Jordyn and Charlee; brothers, LaVern Turner, Sylvester Turner and Edward Turner; and sisters, Delores Wiehn and Darlene Roberts.

He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Elizabeth Turner; sisters, Betty Jo Turner, Helen Espenhover and Marie Espenhover; brothers, Joe Turner, Johnnie Turner and Leonard Turner; and grandchildren, Brandon and Brent Deyo.

Julius Turner was a member of St. Pius X Catholic Church. He lived his life with simplicity and faith in God. He retired as an earth mover of heavy equipment and was penned as,” An artist with dirt.” He worked on many area projects including Carver Hawkeye Arena and I-380. Growing up on a farm, he was comfortable outdoors in his garden and flower beds with a family pet nearby. He was a self-taught man and succeeded in creating and fixing anything from carpentry and mechanics of any kind, a “Julius” of all trades. He set his values and lived by them.

He enjoyed his large family and grandchildren and was a good husband, dad, grandpa and a memorable friend to many. We are going to miss him, greatly.

Please leave a message or tribute to the Turner family on the Web page, under obituaries.

Published in The Gazette July 17, 2012.