Paul Joseph Turner was born in Morocco, Indiana, in May of 1937 to Earl and Ada Turner. He had a brother, Charles, and a sister, Phyllis. He started working when he was 12 years old, weeding peppermint fields to help the family out; he built his own bicycle from spare parts because money was tight.
He had “itchy feet” and wanted to see the world, so he lied about his age to join the Indiana Army National Guard. But he gained his mom’s approval and soon after transferred to the United States Air Force, where he trained in avionics and bomb navigation technology. He was a card-carrying “nuclear bomb handler” by the age of 19! One of the highlights of his career was working on the SR-71 Blackbird.
While stationed at Sculthorpe Air Base in England, he met his lovely Italian bride, Desolina. Together, they raised three children, Angela, Tina, and Wesley. Paul loved to take his family outdoors to camp and pan for gold. He especially enjoyed these activities with his granddaughter, Nina, and his great-grandson, Dean.
Paul served two tours of duty in Thailand during the Vietnam War. After retirement from the Air Force, his work for private contractors took him to Iran and Saudi Arabia. While overseas, he attained his lifelong dream of traveling to Egypt. He then worked for the United States Civil Service and utilized his considerable skills repairing F-111s at McClellan AFB.
PJ, as his friends called him, made friends wherever he went and would give you the shirt off his back. Anyone who knew him knew he had an affinity for space and extraterrestrials, and that he had watched every episode of the Star Trek series multiple times! He loved his time at his hideaway on the Eleven Point River and the dear friends he made there. He loved all dogs, but especially his dachshunds Murphy, Rosie, and Dolly. He lived an amazing life and will forever be missed by his loving family.
