Gregory Dan Turner

On March 8, 2025, Gregory Dan Turner passed from his earthly life. Born on December 28, 1954 in Muskogee, Oklahoma, he was the only child of Beatrice Gay Ellerbee (née Redding) and Dan Turner. He was named after Gregory Peck, Bea’s favorite actor.

Growing up in Nicoma Park and Harrah, he developed an early love for sports and the outdoors. His home quickly became the place where many neighborhood children spent countless hours playing basketball, football, and baseball and patrolling the woods. In fact, his mother remarked, “They played so much it made it hard to keep the grass, but I figured I would have grass later.”

He graduated from Harrah High School, where he had played on the basketball team, in 1973 and enrolled at Oklahoma Christian College in January 1974. He ultimately decided to leave Oklahoma Christian to attend the Sunset School of Preaching and received a preaching certificate in 1978. He would later return to Oklahoma Christian College, finishing his bachelor's and master’s degrees there in 1990.

While at Oklahoma Christian, he met Susan Grace Turner (née Kerr). They married on December 27, 1975, and then they had three children: Joshua Gregory (1978), Caleb James (1982), and Jannea Susanne (1986).

Baptized by his father February 27, 1966, Greg served briefly as a missionary in Massachusetts and enjoyed preaching and teaching the Bible throughout his life, even serving as a deacon for a time.

In 1981, he accepted a position as an Electronics Technician at Tinker Air Force Base. In the 2010s, he retired from government service after more than two decades due to his declining health.

He loved and supported his children. He attended and hosted many church youth events. He served as an Assistant Scoutmaster in the Boy Scouts of America and cheered loudly at many soccer, football, and basketball games. He ensured his children received frequent opportunities to visit the great outdoors, planning trips to the Grand Canyon, Mammoth Cave, Devil’s Den, Robbers Cave, Alabaster Caverns, the Great Salt Plains, Little Sahara, and Philmont Boy Scout Ranch. There were also many weekends where he would take his children hunting or to University of Oklahoma football games.

In addition to deer hunting, Greg also enjoyed bargain hunting. He would frequently buy products second hand because he enjoyed the process of fixing things. There were many times when he would buy multiple versions of the same product, up to and including vehicles and lawn tractors, so he could use the parts from one item to fix another. A true bargain hunter to the very end, he even bought his burial plot on eBay.

In his later years, despite his declining health, he attended many of his grandchildren’s parties and activities, cheering as they played soccer, basketball, and football. He always loved giving them the best presents at Christmas, especially ones their parents might not have purchased, such as pocket knives, DIY rockets, and copious amounts of candy, including giant chocolate kisses.

Greg was preceded in death by his father, Dan, by his former father-in-law, James Kerr, and by his stepmother Mary Turner. He is survived by his mother Bea of Harrah, OK, former mother-in-law Phyllis Kerr of Searcy, AR, former wife Susan of Harrah, OK, brother Danny Turner and wife Stacy of Moore, OK, sister Virginia Ann Kennedy of Oklahoma City, OK, son Joshua and wife Binh of Harrah, OK, son Caleb and wife Lacey of Norman, OK, daughter Jannea and husband Dale Pence of Newalla, OK, grandson Nathan and granddaughters Hannah, Ava, Maci, Estelle, and River, as well as beloved cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Visitation will be Friday, March 21, 2025, 3:30 - 7:00 p.m., at the Newalla Church of Christ, 20811 Katy St., Newalla, Oklahoma 74857.

A funeral service will be Saturday, March 22, 2025, 1:00 p.m., at the Newalla Church of Christ.