Jean Phyllis Turner
July 9, 1923 - March 8, 2018

Jean was blessed with and is survived by her two children, son Robert Turner and his wife, Christy, of Omaha, NE, and daughter, Cynthia Lindsley, of Brunswick, ME, her three grandchildren, Benjamin Foreman Turner and his wife, Lesley, of Omaha, NE, Rebekah Jean Lindsley and her husband, Zachary D. Wriston, of Pasadena, MD, and Kelly Lynn Turner, of New York, NY, and two great granddaughters, Emerson Anne Turner and Mackenzie Larson Turner, of Omaha, NE. The love of her life and her best friend, Ralph William “Bill” Turner Jr., was called home in 2016; They had been married 68 years at the time.

Jean was born in Methuen, Massachusetts, to Maude and C. Roy Perry, the youngest of two children. She studied English and acting at Emerson College in Boston, and she went on to teach and inspire hundreds of students in her 40+ years of teaching English. She didn’t stop inspiring young minds even after she retired, as she continued to substitute and volunteer in both her local and old school systems of South Bristol, ME, and Brunswick, ME. She was never at a loss to recount stories of her students with great fondness.

She married Bill on June 29, 1947, and they lived together in Methuen, MA, Millinocket, ME, Nashua, NH, and Brunswick, ME, before moving full time to South Bristol, ME, in 1992. She and Bill loved being on the water, and on any given weekend or vacation you could expect to find them out on the boat, exploring the coast of Maine.

Jean was an excellent cook who made her own strawberry jam every summer, and set the table with her best linens, china, and silver just for Sunday dinner. She never had a bad word to say about anybody, and she valued peace and getting along with other people over her own needs and desires. She was very active in all the churches she attended, serving on multiple committees and singing in the choir. She adored children, but especially babies, and she couldn’t help but go out of her way to say hello to babies whenever she saw them in public. She lived a full and happy life, and she will be missed by everyone who knew her.

A memorial service will be held at 1pm, on Saturday, May 19th at the Union Congregational Church in South Bristol, where Jean was a long time member. As she valued education and learning very highly, memorials in Jean’ memory can be made to any educational program or school of the donor’s choice.

Arrangements are under the direction and care of the Strong-Hancock Funeral Home, 612 Main Street, Damariscotta, ME 04543. Condolences, and messages for her family, may be expressed by visiting: www.StrongHancock.com.