Charles Berry Turner

Charles B. Turner (""Charlie""), a long-time resident of Aurora, CO, was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin on August 10, 1931. He had just celebrated his 85th birthday before passing away due to natural causes on August 23, 2016. Although Charlie was most known for his optimism and kind-spirited nature, he will be remembered for his service to his country, his ability to fix and repair things, a cancer survivor, and the legacy of his large loving family. In 1971 and after 20 years of honorable service, he retired as a Master Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force. His military service took him from Michigan to Colorado, to England, Georgia, Thailand, California, and eventually back to Colorado. He served primarily as a munitions technician during most of his career, which included his veteran service during the Vietnam War. After retiring, Charlie briefly served as a military instructor for Northrop Grumman in Saudi Arabia. Charlie was renowned for his infectious passion to fix or repair practically anything. This knack came at an early age as he used to repair bikes for the other kids in his neighborhood. After he left Saudi Arabia, Charlie enrolled in diesel mechanic school which led to a career at Engine Rebuilders in 1972. Later in 1983 he took his passion to Aurora Public Schools where he went on to serve 15 years heading up maintenance/operations at Gateway High School. After his second and final retirement from Gateway, he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Despite having a fragile respiratory system, being the fighter he was, Charlie continued to live well beyond what doctors anticipated for anyone with his condition. In fact, he lived an amazing 13+ years past his initial fight with cancer where he later became the focus of additional observation and research at University of Colorado Hospital. It is hoped that his legacy will help other future cancer patients. While Charlie took this amazing journey, he had a loving and large family alongside him. He is survived by his wife Chi (and her three sons Patrick, Dan, and Scott), three daughters (Marlene, Sauni, and Linda), eight grandchildren (Steve, Christopher, Holley, Kevin, Jared, Ben, Brittany, Micaela), 20 great grandchildren, and one great great granddaughter. Charlie will be remembered as not only being a great husband and devoted father, but also as a gentle and charming man which was complemented by his great sense of humor. He always found a way to smile through both good and bad times. He was truly an extraordinary man with high spirits and a beautiful soul. Charlie did not die, he lived.