Joseph H. Turner

Joseph H. Turner, “Joe”, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family, on Saturday, October 14, 2023. He was born in Anderson, IN on August 20, 1926, a son of Burrell F. and Nancy M. (Stanley) Turner.

During the depression, Joe and his older siblings worked with their dad at his grocery store. Joe told the story of how they would load up the truck with groceries and drive up and down the railroad track to where the hobos lived. His dad would provide food and supplies to those in need while teaching through actions the importance of caring for others.

Joe joined the Navy at age 17 and served from 1944 -1946, 2 years in Hawaii. When he returned to Coloma, Michigan, he worked a variety of jobs, finally settling on being a machinist at FP Rosbach Co. in Benton Harbor, MI.  He worked at Rosbach for 46 years where his magnetic personality helped him climb the ladder of success eventually reaching the level of vice-president of world-wide sales. This job entailed a lot of frequent travel and Joe would often pack up Shirley and his son Tim, as he did not want to leave them behind. Tim says that by age 10 he had been in 48 states and several countries.

Joe became an Adventist after being swept off his skates by a pretty blond (Shirley) who was a member of the local Seventh-day Adventist Church. That church was having meetings and Joe, looking forward to seeing Shirley again, attended.  While attending Joe began his relationship with Jesus.

On November 26, 1950, Joe married the love of his life, the former Shirley J. Iverson. They were very involved in the Hartford SDA church. This is where he met his best friend Del Stagg, 'his other brother'. Shirley and Joe later transferred their membership to the Kalamazoo SDA church when they moved to be near their grandkids. Joe was known for his steadfast religious convictions and his ability to make anyone feel comfortable and valued.

Following retirement from Rosbach in 1992, his desire to continue to work with people led him to Florin Funeral Home in Coloma. After moving to Kalamazoo, he joined the Langeland Funeral Home where he demonstrated God's grace for many years.

He loved fishing, golfing, snow skiing, playing tennis and table games; especially when sharing them with family and friends.

Shirley preceded him in death on May 9, 2009. Joe was also preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Paul Turner; and sisters, Janet Wigent, and Barbara Reck. He is survived by his son, Timothy (Cyndi) Turner; grandson, Tom Turner; granddaughter, Laurel (Jacob) Bishop; great-granddaughters, Amelia, Alexis, and Avalyn Bishop; his brothers, Jack (Harriett) Turner, and Dan Turner; and nieces and nephews.

Cremation has taken place. A brief graveside service will be held in the Coloma Cemetery at 3:00 Saturday afternoon, November 4th followed by an opportunity to meet with family and friends in the adjacent Coloma SDA church.

In lieu of flowers please consider a gift in Joe’s memory to Kalamazoo Seventh-Day Adventist church. Arrangements entrusted to Langeland Family Funeral Homes Burial & Cremation Services, 622 S. Burdick St, Kalamazoo MI 49007. To view Joe’s personalized web page, please visit https://www.langelands.com