Obituary for Peter C Turner
Peter Corliss Turner passed away surrounded by love at his home in Plainsboro, NJ on Sunday, March 22, 2020 at the age of 85.
A devoted family man he is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Kathryn M. Turner of Plainsboro, his children Christopher, Lisa (Ed), Stephanie (Chris) and his grandchildren, Cristina, Nicolas, Jeffrey, Lindsay, Jacob, Kelcey, Patrick and Courtney and many others who loved him deeply including special family friend Betty Anderson and his devoted Health Aide Abena. He is predeceased by his parents Jacob and Ruth Turner and survived by brother David Turner (Sally).
Peter was born on September 15, 1934 and raised in Norwell MA. He graduated from St Marks School in Southborough, MA, Trinity College in Hartford, CT and earned an MBA at RPI. Peter joined the Navy after graduating from Trinity and after completing OCS received orders to report to the Naval Academy Prep School in Bainbridge, MD. It was there, while teaching calculus (which he quickly taught himself before classes started), he went on a blind date and met his future bride.
In 1960 Peter and Katie were married and lived on the Naval Base making friends for life. After leaving active duty, the Turners relocated to Newington, CT where Peter started a 20+ year civilian career at the Aetna, first as an underwriter and later focusing on training and development. Peter completed his military service in the Naval Reserves, retiring as a Commander. In 1983, the family moved to New Jersey for a new opportunity with American Reinsurance, first in Madison and then settling in Cranbury. After retirement, Peter and Katie moved to Plainsboro.
Peter was a Renaissance man of many talents. He was very musical and loved singing and playing the piano (which he continued to enjoy throughout his illness). He was a master craftsman, no matter the medium; he could draw, paint and was very talented with woodworking both in large scale construction projects as well making very detailed furniture. He loved antiques (the history was important to him) and he was an enthusiastic collector of candlewick. He was an avid reader and loved to pay all games; dominoes were a recent favorite — he was a pro, nearly undefeated!
A quiet man of faith and integrity, Peter was always kind and helpful. He was an active volunteer for several churches and civic organizations, including The Seeing Eye, Red Cross, Lions Club and Historical Society of Cranbury. A staunch supporter of equal opportunity, he was a founding member of the Newington Youth Soccer Club- starting a girls program in the 1970s - one of the first. He served the Church in various capacities, as an Elder, sharing his expertise on the buildings and grounds committee and teaching Sunday school for many years
We will always remember his love for his wife and family as well as some of his personal favorites — anything chocolate, chocolate chip ice cream cones with jimmies, his secret hot fudge recipe, the Boston Red Sox, his 1968 mustang convertible and sharing the interests of his children and grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Peter’s memory to the Plainsboro Rescue Squad, 621 Plainsboro Rd, Plainsboro, NJ 08536.
A memorial service will be held 11:30am Saturday September 18, 2021 at St. David's Episcopal Church in Cranbury, NJ.
A devoted family man he is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Kathryn M. Turner of Plainsboro, his children Christopher, Lisa (Ed), Stephanie (Chris) and his grandchildren, Cristina, Nicolas, Jeffrey, Lindsay, Jacob, Kelcey, Patrick and Courtney and many others who loved him deeply including special family friend Betty Anderson and his devoted Health Aide Abena. He is predeceased by his parents Jacob and Ruth Turner and survived by brother David Turner (Sally).
Peter was born on September 15, 1934 and raised in Norwell MA. He graduated from St Marks School in Southborough, MA, Trinity College in Hartford, CT and earned an MBA at RPI. Peter joined the Navy after graduating from Trinity and after completing OCS received orders to report to the Naval Academy Prep School in Bainbridge, MD. It was there, while teaching calculus (which he quickly taught himself before classes started), he went on a blind date and met his future bride.
In 1960 Peter and Katie were married and lived on the Naval Base making friends for life. After leaving active duty, the Turners relocated to Newington, CT where Peter started a 20+ year civilian career at the Aetna, first as an underwriter and later focusing on training and development. Peter completed his military service in the Naval Reserves, retiring as a Commander. In 1983, the family moved to New Jersey for a new opportunity with American Reinsurance, first in Madison and then settling in Cranbury. After retirement, Peter and Katie moved to Plainsboro.
Peter was a Renaissance man of many talents. He was very musical and loved singing and playing the piano (which he continued to enjoy throughout his illness). He was a master craftsman, no matter the medium; he could draw, paint and was very talented with woodworking both in large scale construction projects as well making very detailed furniture. He loved antiques (the history was important to him) and he was an enthusiastic collector of candlewick. He was an avid reader and loved to pay all games; dominoes were a recent favorite — he was a pro, nearly undefeated!
A quiet man of faith and integrity, Peter was always kind and helpful. He was an active volunteer for several churches and civic organizations, including The Seeing Eye, Red Cross, Lions Club and Historical Society of Cranbury. A staunch supporter of equal opportunity, he was a founding member of the Newington Youth Soccer Club- starting a girls program in the 1970s - one of the first. He served the Church in various capacities, as an Elder, sharing his expertise on the buildings and grounds committee and teaching Sunday school for many years
We will always remember his love for his wife and family as well as some of his personal favorites — anything chocolate, chocolate chip ice cream cones with jimmies, his secret hot fudge recipe, the Boston Red Sox, his 1968 mustang convertible and sharing the interests of his children and grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Peter’s memory to the Plainsboro Rescue Squad, 621 Plainsboro Rd, Plainsboro, NJ 08536.
A memorial service will be held 11:30am Saturday September 18, 2021 at St. David's Episcopal Church in Cranbury, NJ.