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Harlan Glen Turner (1924-2021)

TURNER, HURST, DOLPHIN

Posted By: Ken wright (email)
Date: 10/21/2021 at 16:06:38

Harlyn Glen (Harlie) Turner, 97, of Dubuque, Iowa, passed away Wednesday, October 20, 2021, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City.

Friends and family may gather from 9:30 am until 10:30 am on Saturday, October 23, 2021, at Hoffmann Schneider & Kitchen Funeral Home & Crematory, 3860 Asbury Rd, Dubuque, IA. The Funeral Service will immediately follow at 10:30 am with Pastor Derek Rosenstiel officiating. The burial will be in Linwood Cemetery in Dubuque. Full military honors will be rendered by The American Legion Post #6. The family asks that all in attendance wear masks.

Harlie was born on August 27, 1924, in a log cabin in McCartney, WI. He is the son of Glenn and Verbena (Hurst) Turner. He married Colleen Henrietta Dolphin in 1944 in Langley Field, Virginia. Together they had two children, Sue (Bill) Keck and Dennis (Ann) Turner.

After the death of Colleen in 2003, Harlie met and later married Opal Marie (Potter) Laugesen in 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The two of them were great companions. They both enjoyed traveling by air and experienced their first flight together and lived happily until Harlie’s passing. Harlie spent most of his early years on his family’s 40-acre farm in Burton, WI. Around age 16, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps in Platteville, WI, before enlisting in the United States Army Air Corps. He was later assigned to the 446th bomb group at Flixton Air Base in England. He proudly served as an aerial gunner on the new B-24 aircraft they affectionately named “Little Rollo” during World War II. Harlie completed 31 combat missions; many were aboard “Little Rollo,” including the D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944.

Harlie’s life was filled with military service to his country. He was a gunnery instructor during World War II and an airborne radar instructor during the Korean War. He was a decorated serviceman with the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters, European Theatre Medal with six Major Battle Stars, and the Korean Campaign Medal with two Major Battle Stars. In 1970, after 30 years of service, Harlie retired with the rank of Chief Master Sergeant. After his military retirement, he moved to Dubuque, IA in 1971 and began working at the Dubuque Packing Company as a night foreman in the order-filling department and retired in 1981. He also belonged to the Warren Masonic Lodge #4 in Potosi, Wisconsin, serving as a Master Mason.

He had various pastimes during his retirement years, including his love for being outdoors, hunting, fishing, golfing, boating, traveling, playing cards, and visiting an occasional casino. In addition, he liked to go on walks by the river, watch movies, and dine out. He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, and all who knew him appreciated his kindness and incredible sense of humor. His genuine nature and ability to make everyone laugh were endearing to anyone who met him.

Harlie is survived by his wife, Opal of Dubuque; a sister, Doris (Chuck) Niensteadt of Moline, IL; a daughter-in-law, Ann (Dennis) Turner of Dubuque; stepdaughters Sandra (Gary) Koehler and Donna (Robert) Humke, both of Dubuque; Five grandsons, David (Julie) Keck of Dubuque, Darryl Keck of Dubuque, Don (Missy) Keck of Dubuque, Jody (Kimberly) Turner of Joplin, MO, Jason Turner of Jacksonville, FL; 10 great-grandchildren (Brandon, Chandler, Xander, Bryan, Ashlynn, Amanda, Heather, Tomi, Gavin, and Summer), and six great-great-grandchildren. Also left behind are his step-grandchildren, Adam (Bridget) Koehler, Benjamin (Leah) Koehler; five step-great-grandchildren (MacKenzie, Hudson, Griffin, Dexter, and Felix).

He is preceded in death by his first wife, Colleen; his son, Dennis D. Turner; his daughter, Sue A. Keck; a son-in-law, Bill Keck; a stepson-in- law, Gary Koehler; a brother, Donald Turner; and a sister, Etola Johannsen.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Harlyn G. Turner please visit our Tribute Store.


 

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