Guthrie Lewis Turner Jr.'s Obituary
BG (Ret.) Guthrie Lewis Turner, Jr., passed away January 9, 2014 at Madigan Army Medical Center, the hospital he commanded from 1980 to 1983.
He was born on May 26, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois. He was raised in Snow Hill North Carolina, and received a Bachelors Degree from Shaw University, Doctor of Medicine from Howard University, Master of Public Health from Harvard University, and Master of Business Administration from Pacific Lutheran University. He was married to the lovely Ellaworth Kirby on June 6, 1956.
The only child of Guthrie and Nettie Turner, BG Turner enjoyed a distinguished military career culminating with his selection as the US Army's first black physician promoted to the rank of Brigadier General. After his retirement from the military, Dr. Turner entered a second career as the Medicaid Director of the Medicaid Assistance Administration of the Department of Social and Human Services for the State of Washington. A man who believed in service, Dr. Turner donated his time to many many organizations such as Shaw University, the Franciscan Health Network, the National Medical Association, the Madigan Foundation Board, the Tacoma Urban League, and Oberlin Congregational Church.
He is survived by his children, Kimberley Green and Travis, Kevin Turner, and Karen Lee; his grandchildren Justin Woods, Kia Turner, Marshall Lee, and Mariah Lee; a host of cousins; and his wife of 57 years, Ellaworth.
The memorial service will be held at Oberlin Congregational Church in Steilacoom, WA, at 1 pm on January 25, 2014. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Dr. Guthrie L. Turner, Jr. Endowed Scholarship at Shaw University.
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