Inal Cleota (Burgess) Turner, 86, of Fairmount, IN, passed away peacefully at home with her family on Friday, February 26, 2016.
Born in Linton, Indiana at her grandmother’s house, Inal grew up in Bloomington with her mother, Violet Bailey Burgess, and father, Cleophas Burgess – visiting her Grandmother, her Aunt Lucille, a second mother to her, and her cousin Veronica every chance she got. She graduated from Bloomington High School in 1948 and was married just one year later on April 17, 1949 to William (Bill) Turner from Summitville. Together they had four children, Greg, David, Marla and Lisa, and lived on their 40-acre hobby farm just outside of Fairmount. The farm was a labor of love for them both, a task they shared while working full-time for 46 years until Bill passed away in 1995.
A self-professed “tomboy” at heart, Inal was an only child who loved to trail her father wherever her went. She was an accurate shot with a pistol and a successful cane-pole fisherman. She lived through the Second World War and the Great Depression, grew up without running water, and remembered the feeling of importance she had when her parents purchased their first automobile.
In her 86 years as daughter, mother, wife, grandmother and great-grandmother, she taught everyone who was blessed enough to know her about the finer things in life. She believed that family always came first, and if you could help them, you should. She believed that “I love you” was something you did, not something you said. She believed that aging didn’t’t mean growing old, and she dressed to impress in vibrant, loud patterns and colors and owned a rainbow of cars throughout her later years.
She had a great sense of humor and a love of debate – her unwavering persistence and infallible logic generally left whomever she was arguing with on the losing end of the battle. She was tenacious and hardworking. She was smart as a whip and loved learning everything she could, which came easy to her with a nearly eidetic memory. When she set her mind to something, and she generally had her mind set on something, she excelled.
An exceptional cook, she spent years pouring through cookbooks and recipes perfecting her craft. In addition to preparing holiday meals for her large family and striving to bring the best dish to family reunions, she took every class she could fit into her schedule. She took cake decorating classes and crafted the wedding cakes for three of her grandchildren. She won Grand Champion at the Indiana State Fair for Divinity Fudge and first place for a Banana Cake recipe she made while in the Sugar and Spice Home Extension Club in Elwood.
Fitting in seamlessly with her love of travel and learning, was Inal’s love of history. As just the second person in her family to ever receive a college education (her mother, a school teacher, was the first), she graduated from Marion College with a degree in American History. It was a passion that after many years of working in factories and more than a decade as a Nursing Assistant at the Marion VA, Inal was able to return to as her final career. After her retirement from the VA at 65, she started at Conner Prairie, dressing in costume and explaining Indiana history to thousands each year. She celebrated 15 years there, finally leaving the workforce at 80 years old.
Loved by many, Inal had a spark that caught the attention of everyone she met. She was quick with a joke and even quicker with a comeback, and to know her was to love her. She will be greatly missed by the family and friends that she leaves behind.
She is survived by three children and a daughter-in-law, Greg (Emily) Turner, Fort Scott, KS; David Turner, Fairmount, IN; Marla Turner, Muncie, IN; Five Grandchildren: Greta (Jeffrey) Turner Erman, Fort Scott, KS; Olivia (Steven) Butler, Leawood, KS; Heather Turner, Fort Scott, KS; Emigene Brown, Leawood, KS; Tiffany (Eric) Cothern, Fort Collins, CO; and eight great-grandchildren: Emily, Joe, Mark, Avery Byron, Sydney, Ellison, Turner, and Hunter.
She was preceded in death by her mother and father, her husband Bill Turner, and her daughter, Lisa Turner.
Funeral services for Inal will be 11:00 AM Wednesday March 9, 2016 at the Fairmount Chapel of Armes-Hunt Funeral Home, 415 S. Main St., Fairmount, IN with Brock Meyer officiating. Interment will be at Park Cemetery, Fairmount, IN. The family will receive friends Tuesday March 8, 2016 from 4-8 PM at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions are to Conner Prairie, Cancer Services of Grant County, or The F.I.L.M. Project in care of the funeral home.
Online condolences and memories may be made at www.armeshuntfuneralhome.com