Paul Anthony Turner peacefully left us on January 23 after a long life filled with the love of his family and friends. In his own words, Paul “gave it hell, until he couldn’t give it hell anymore”. Missing him terribly are his four children, eight grandchildren and four great grandchildren, along with a dozen nieces and nephews scattered across the globe, most of whom he stayed in touch with right to the end. Dad, Paul, Grandpa, or Uncle Paul was a generous man with a big personality and was a patriarch in the old- fashioned sense. He had a genial presence with a razor-sharp mind who was happy to argue you under the table no matter his knowledge of the subject. For out-of-town family and friends, no stay in Victoria was complete without a visit to see Paul.
Paul was born in 1926 in Theodore, Saskatchewan to Edith and Oscar Turner, the third of five children. After a brief service in the Canadian Army late in the War, he studied at the University of Saskatchewan, earning degrees in agriculture and economics. It was here he met the beautiful and brainy Sylvia Judson, the love of his life. Paul and Sylvia raised their four children in Saskatoon until 1969 when they decamped to Victoria. Paul was a real estate developer in Saskatoon and took these skills to Victoria and the Lower Mainland. His love of fishing and boating took him out on the flats off Oak Bay, to Desolation Sound and the Gulf Islands in the summers. His innate curiosity about people and places also made him a great world traveller, but he always enjoyed the open road. Even into his eighties, Paul continued to pack up his car and travel back to Saskatchewan to visit with friends and relatives.
Paul loved life and people. He was never happier than on a Turner family trip to Maui or Mexico. “Preacher Paul” as he often called himself, had many sayings and life lessons for his loved ones. It’s not what you make, it’s what you save before you spend it, was a favourite.
Paul leaves behind Cameron (Heather), Peggy (Bruce), Andrew (Joanne) and Hugh (Meaghan). Grandkids Alex (Andrea), Christina (Grant), Kate, Ross, Reid (Tanya), Malcolm (Hillary), Linden and Kinna (Scott). Great-grandkids, Aiden, Jackson, Wren and Noah. Former spouse Joan and her family. Nieces and nephews Saralee, Maureen, Shaun, Janice, David, Dianne, David, Kevin, Debi, Becky, Sandra and Karen.
Paul is predeceased by his wife Sylvia (1984), his four siblings, Neville, Gerry (Joan), Eleanor (Bill) and Lee (Clara), by his sister-in-law Caroline Moore, and by nephews Brian, Blair, and Raymond.
Paul will be missed by sisters-in-law Phyllis Meiklejohn (Bob) and Marian Turner Lewis.
For Paul, there were two types of relatives: bloody and non-bloody. We were all dears, but he was the dearest of us all.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to a charity you care about. Paul’s request was to have a gathering of his family & friends which will be held at a later date.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
-
Elizabeth Jan Warren
My mother, Elizabeth Warren, maiden name Lee, sends her condolances. She is Pauls cousin, the daughter of Carleton George Lee who was Paul’s mother’s brother. She kept in touch with Paul over the years and always enjoyed talking with him. She has been trying to reach him by phone recently. His conversations will be greatly mist. She and my father visited them in Victoria many years ago. My Mom will be 95 this year and lives in an assisted living place in Vermont. Her eyesight and hearing are poor. She wants to reach out. Could one of Pauls children get in touch with me with a phone number and I will see thaqt she gets it. Sincerely
Elizabeth Warren