Dr. Ed S. Turner III, LTC, USA (Ret.)

Dr. Ed S. Turner III passed away at home on May 25, 2022, leaving behind his wife of 47 years, Victoria (Vicki); five sons, James (Brenda), Matthew (Gretchen), Ed IV (Michelle), Ben (Cynthia), and Skylar (Katie); five grandchildren, Savannah, Drew, Colton, Greyson, and Callen; and numerous nieces and nephews. Ed is also survived by one brother, Bill Turner, of Alamogordo, NM.  He was preceded in death by his parents Ed and Faye Turner, and two brothers, Joe and Jim Turner.

Ed was born in Alamogordo, New Mexico, on January 23, 1950, where as a premie his mother put him in the oven to keep him warm.  He grew up with his three brothers in the small village of Tularosa, where their lives were dedicated to hard work and playing football.  When Ed graduated from Tularosa high school in 1968 he was the Golden Helmet Award recipient for the State of New Mexico and accepted a football scholarship to Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. With his football physique he had certainly outgrown his premie status. Ed loved his college days and being a member of the Trinity Tigers. Unfortunately the Vietnam War was looming over the nation and Ed was the recipient of a low number under the nation’s lottery system. This compelled him to sign up for ROTC and thus began a lifelong love for service to his country, his fellow man, and his family. 

Upon his college graduation, Ed accepted a commission in the Army that took him to places like South Korea, Fort Lewis, WA. Fort Bliss, TX, West Germany, Iowa City, Iowa, Fort Carson, CO, and numerous schools across the Southwest.  Ed rose from a second Lieutenant as a platoon leader to organizational effectiveness officer to commandant to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel retiring in 1994.  Ed received his Master’s degree in organizational communication from the University of Northern Colorado setting up his love for lifelong learning which is something he worked to encourage and instill in others.

Ed loved working with people and training them to reach their full potential.  From the quality circles of Texas Instruments to a management and training consultant at Gulf States Utilities and Entergy; Ed had a significant impact on the work lives of others from Austin, TX to New Orleans, LA to Jackson, MS.  Many will tell you what a dynamic leader Ed was and what a pleasure to work for from Nationwide Paper, Samsonite, Comcast and the Veterans Administration in the Denver area. At the top of Ed’s bucket list was his desire to obtain a doctorate which he did so in 2010 with a doctoral degree in management from the University of Phoenix. His thesis was a Study of Trust in the workplace conducted while working at Comcast. Dr. Turner co-authored a book entitled Full Speed Ahead. 

On Thanksgiving and Christmas, Ed could be found with his family on the streets of Colfax feeding the homeless before going home to his own dinner. Ed served as a deacon and was instrumental in collecting and delivering over 1,000 Christmas gifts for children of incarcerated persons as well as serving as a member of the Denver Mayor’s initiative to end homelessness while a member of Colorado Community Church and Cherry Hills Community Church.  Dr. Turner was a Cubmaster and Scoutmaster for over 40 years in the Boy Scouts and took great pride in seeing some of his scouts reach the rank of Eagle to include his own son.  Ed was a devoted family man who loved his wife, his boys and grandkids.  One of Ed’s passions was football and he loved the Denver Broncos. The slogan on his wall that he embraced was “There are only two seasons; offseason and football season!” Ed was a man of strong moral courage and integrity and this world is a better place because of him.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, 12:30 pm at Horan & McConaty, 5303 E County Line Rd, Centennial, CO 80122. Viewing will be held on Monday, June 13, 2022 , 7:00 to 8:00 pm at the funeral home.  If you would like to make a donation in Ed’s name, please do so to Operation Finally Home, c/o Chase Bank, P.O. Box 732667, Dallas, TX 75373, which provides homes and home modifications to America's Veterans, First Responders and their families.