05/16/2010
Mary Evelyn (Adair) Turner passed away peacefully Sunday, May 16, 2010. Mary was born January 28, 1923 at her grandparents' house in Harvey, Iowa, to Oral and Helen (Harrington) Adair.
Mary graduated from Knoxville High School and obtained her teaching degree from Central College in Pella, Iowa, in 1941. Following graduation, she taught in country and small-town schools in Southeastern Iowa.
Mary married Samuel Edward Turner when he returned from the WWII Pacific Theater in 1944. They lived in Berkeley, California, for over 20 years before moving to San Jose in 1967.
Mary was practical, unpretentious, generous and always willing to help anyone who asked. She was an excellent seamstress and, together with her husband Sam, tended a large and bountiful backyard vegetable garden.
She was active at the Church of God of San Jose, where she became part of the family for a generation of toddlers and their parents through her service in the nursery.
Mary was preceded in death by her husband, Samuel Edward Turner; her parents; and one sister, Helen Louise Adair Holdsworth. She is survived by her five children, eight grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
A memorial service celebrating her life will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Activity Center (alzdaycare.org) or the
Church of God of San Jose (sjcog.com).
Published in San Jose Mercury News/San Mateo County Times on May 21, 2010