Jerry 'Jay' Wilson Turner Jr., 51
Jay Turner "left this world" surrounded by family on Oct. 5, 2007. Born in 1956 to Barbara and Jerry Turner Sr. at the "old" Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto Calif., Jay spent his early years playing and riding bikes in the fields where Hewlett Packard now stands. As a teen, he lived in the Chicago area, and as a young adult moved to Montana to live near his sister Laura and her family.
They were later joined by their sister, Janne, who brought her girls to enjoy the Montana life. Jay never had his own children, but always had a soft spot for his nieces and nephews. He loved them like his own, and served as a father figure to them all.
Jay worked most of his adult life in the health-care field: delivering oxygen (respiratory therapy), medical supplies, retrofitting wheelchairs and delivering medical goods. He loved working with people and enjoyed getting to know his clients personally. He was very good at understanding how things worked and frequently scavenged items to dismantle, so he could understand out how they were built.
Jay enjoyed the outdoors and always had toys. He loved snowmobiling, four-wheeling, fishing, camping and hiking. Many winter days, Jay could be found riding in the hills, or playing in the snow with his family. He had an adventurous spirit and was always the first to explore a cave, climb a hill or dive into the water. He loved living in Montana and stayed for 20 years.
Jay married Colette Messman in 1997 and soon moved from Montana to live in Arizona. Colette brought to the marriage three adult children, of whom Jay always enjoyed bragging, "his children never caused him any problems." He loved his family and was blessed to become "Papa" to five grandchildren.
Throughout their marriage, they lived in Montana, Arizona, California and Nevada. Although his marriage ended in divorce, he remained close with his children and grandchildren.
Jay became ill in 2004 and eventually returned to live with his parents and sister in Nipomo, Calif. Jay had a long hard struggle with his illness, but was always a gracious patient with a ready smile and a willing attitude. Through the help of his sisters, Jay was placed on the liver transplant list at Stanford Hospital and was reborn with a new liver Dec. 22, 2006. Jay struggled with numerous complications and hospitalizations before and after his transplant, and was appreciative of the excellent care he received at Stanford.
His nephew, David, and his two sisters took turns caring for Jay near Stanford and by April 7, Jay was honored to walk his niece, Erica, down the aisle and give her hand in marriage. When he was finally able to return home to Nipomo in May, he lay on the floor so his faithful dog, "Trooper," could give him a joyful, "slobbering" welcome home.
In September, it was again at Stanford Hospital that he received the somber diagnosis of metastatic cancer.
Jay leaves behind many who feel blessed to have had him in their lives. Jay has pulled us closer as a family and he will remain in our hearts forever.
He is survived by his parents, Barbara and Jerry Turner Sr., of Nipomo; sisters, Janne Turner and Laura Gebhart, also of Nipomo; nephews, Nathan Jay and Heidi Gebhart, and their children, Shevelle and Jay, of Kalispell, and David Gebhart of Nipomo; nieces, Jocelyn and Mike Nelson of Butte, Jennifer Luhdorff and her daughter, Allison Bayer, of San Pedro, Calif., and Erica and Adrian Garcia, and their children, Mallory and Adrian, of San Pedro. Also surviving are his stepchildren, Stephanie and Jeff Pernell, and Theresa and Doug Milander of Kalispell, and Forrest Messman of Austin, Texas; and his grandchildren, Victor, Elizabeth, and Steven Milander, plus Miranda and Zander Pernell, all of Kalispell.
Cremation has taken place, and a private memorial service will be held next year to return Jay to Montana. A memorial garden in Jay's honor will be built at his parent's home in Nipomo.
In honor of Jay, we ask you consider organ donation, the true "gift of life" for the many thousands awaiting transplant (www.donatelifecalifornia.org). Donations may be made to Donate Life California, 1760 Creekside Oaks Drive, Suite 220, Sacramento, CA 95833; or to Hospice of SLO, 1304 Pacific St., San Luis Obispo, Ca 93401.