Wayne E. Turner, 77
Wayne Everett Turner, 77, passed away at Logan Health Medical Center in Kalispell on Sept. 25, 2024. He was born in 1946 to Redford C. and Georgianna M. Turner of Kalispell. Wayne was raised on the family farm with his six brothers and sisters in Mountain Brooke. He attended Mountain Brooke School and later Flathead High School where he graduated in 1965. He went on to attend MSU-Northern in Havre. After receiving an associate’s degree, he volunteered for the U.S. Army. Wayne arrived in Vietnam in the spring of 1968, where he served with distinction and was awarded the Bronze Star.
After his discharge in 1970, Wayne returned to the Flathead Valley to work on the family farm and began his career as a log sawyer. In 1974, he met Peggy Halverson and her daughter Joanna. Wayne and Peggy were married in 1975, and he later adopted Joanna. Together they had two more children, Wesley and Hubert.
In 1979, Wayne and Peggy started their own logging company. They grew the company for many years eventually becoming one of the biggest logging contractors in the state and pioneering new mechanized methods for harvesting timber.
In the 1990s, as the timber industry began to decline, Wayne shifted his focus from logging to construction and real estate development. By 2003, he was constructing on of the largest housing developments in the Flathead Valley. By the time he retired Wayne had helped provide over 500 homes for middle class families in the area. He was proud of both his professional accomplishments and work ethic. Rarely missing a day of work, he like to say that he had packed a lunch and gone to work every day since he was 10 years old.
Above all, Wayne believed in family. He personified the term patriarch. Almost every night he was sitting at the kitchen table for dinner with his family. He was always available if a problem arose and worked tirelessly to ensure that his family had everything it needed to be successful. When life fell apart, he could always be counted on to be there to help pick-up the pieces.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Redford and Georgianna; his brothers, Redford Jr. (Dutch), Fred, and George, and his sisters Dorthey and Ruth.
He is survived by his wife Peggy, daughter Joanna Holm (Chad), sons Wesley (Michelle) and Hubert; grandchildren, Tasha Glasman (Devin), Zachary Holm (Amanda), Justin Turner (Avonika) and Addison Turner; great-grandchildren, Angel, Courtney, Tim, Arlene, Devyn, Tidus, and Tavin. He is also survived by his brother, Aldon Turner (Kathy) and numerous nieces and nephews.
A funeral service will be held at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3, at Buffalo Hill Funeral Home.
Buffalo Hill Funeral Home is caring for the family.