NORWICH – John Bennett Turner Jr. died peacefully on July 25, 2011 at the age of 81 at home surrounded by his family.
John is cherished by his wife of 59 years Carol (Lewis) and by his family and friends. He was a proud patriot and generous philanthropist who toiled to make his world a better place.
John was born Nov. 22, 1929 to John Bennett Turner and Katharine (Verplanck) Kent. Summers were spent at Camp Dudley (#6236) and at Chenango Lake in the cottage built by his grandfather that the Turners still enjoy. He graduated from Phillips Andover Academy (’48) and, in June of 1952, graduated from the University of Rochester, married Carol, and was commissioned into the Navy. He served three years of active duty, including as a cryptography officer on the carrier USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, and 12 years in the Navy Reserves, retiring in 1967 as a Lieutenant.
John joined his father’s Norwich business in 1955, Bennett-Ireland Inc, a leading manufacturer of fireplace andirons, grates, and the Flexscreen that John senior invented. As a teenager, John was a draftsman in the engineering department. He later served as foundry manager and Executive Vice President responsible for purchasing, production and industrial sales. He co-coached Norwich’s first YMCA team with George Echentile and built the team’s first starting blocks. For many years he organized and won sailfish races on Chenango Lake. John joined the Norwich Rotary club in 1955, transferring to the Penfield, NY club when he moved his family there in 1969 to open his first store selling products from his family’s fireplace legacy, Cricket on the Hearth. He designed and built Cliffside Common, the site of the current Penfield store.
John’s “retirement” was to be COO of Water for Sudan, helping “Lost Boy” Salva Dut and the organization gain the backing of Rotary International. That allowed them to obtain broad visibility and aid for their work to bring clean drinking water to the recently established country of South Sudan. At the age of 80, John represented Water for Sudan at the World Water Conference in Istanbul Turkey, and traveled to Africa with Salva to buy equipment and establish a Rotary club to facilitate their operations. To date over 100 wells have been drilled providing clean drinking water to many thousands of people.
John was the last President of the Norwich Club, twice ran the Norwich Community Chest campaign, and served on the board of the YMCA. He was a long time member of the Board of the Chenango Lake Association and strove to preserve water quality and access around the lake. He recently helped establish a small museum in Norwich’s Classic Car Museum housing Bennett-Ireland memorabilia and products. John was also a member of the Warren Eaton American Legion Post, the Hearth Products Business Association, and an original member of Hearth Masters. In Penfield he was on the Board of the Penfield Rotary Club, a Paul Harris Fellow, past Trustee and Moderator of the Penfield Baptist Church.
Surviving are his daughters Anne Turner Bohrs (Harry) of Brookline, Mass., and Jennifer Deuel (Jeff) of Pittsford, and sons Joshua Turner (Cheryl) of Skillman, N.J., and Charles Turner (Marcia) of Pittsford. Beloved grandchildren are Katharine and Nathaniel Bohrs, Benjamin and Megan Deuel, Bennett and Chandler Turner, and Grant and Amanda Turner. He is also survived by his sisters Barbara Ives of Sarasota, Fla. and Mary Cattan of Stamford, Conn., brother Kent Turner of Binghamton, uncle James Kent of Henrietta, brother and sister-in-law S. Charles and Gloria Lewis (Irondequoit), cousin Laurie Turner Dewey of Lincoln, Mass. and several other nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, Aug. 8, at the United Church of Christ First Congregational in Norwich, followed by a reception at the Canasawacta Country Club.
In lieu of flowers, donations in John’s memory can be made to the Greater Norwich Foundation c/o NBT Bank, Norwich or Water for Sudan (www.waterforsudan.org) or PO Box 25551 Rochester, NY 14625.
The arrangements are under the direction of the Wilson Funeral Home. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting the funeral home website at: www.wilsonfh.com.