Murray Turner

Murray Noel Turner died on March 24, 2011 after a long battle with lung cancer. He was born in Augusta, Georgia on March 7, 1928. He was the son of Murray Noel and Erie Ross Turner. He moved to Louisville, Georgia in 1936, where he lived until the death of his father in 1942. He then moved to Spartanburg in 1943, where he has resided for the last sixty-eight years. Noel graduated from Spartanburg High School in May 1945 and entered Clemson College that June. When he was eighteen, he entered the U.S. Navy and served for two years. He returned to Clemson in 1948 on an Army ROTC scholarship and graduated in 1951 with a B.S. in Textile Engineering. Noel accepted a commission in the U.S. Army and was stationed at Fort Rucker, Alabama, where he spent ten months in 1952 before being shipped out for active duty in the Korean War as a member of the 45th Thunderbird Infantry Division, 187th Tank Company. He earned the rank of First Lieutenant and completed a tour of duty as commander of a tank platoon. He saw active combat in many battles including the bloody Christmas Hill and Punch Bowl encounters. He received a Bronze Star and several citations for bravery. After his honorable discharge from active duty, he remained in the Army Reserves Unit and served in the Judge Advocate General Corps. He retired from the Army Reserves Unit in 1975 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. After returning to civilian life in 1954, he entered the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor. He began his law career in practice with Paul Moore in Spartanburg in 1956, and then joined Sam Burts to form the law firm of Burts and Turner, where he has practiced law for the past fifty-five years. At the time of his death, he was Senior Partner with Burts, Turner, and Rhodes. He was a member of the Federal Bar, the South Carolina Bar, the South Carolina Association for Justice, and the Spartanburg County Bar. He was a member of the Lions' Club since 1958 and served on the board for the Department of Social Services for a number of years. He served as a deacon and an elder for Westminster Presbyterian Church. He is survived by his beloved wife of forty-four years, Margery Cross Turner; a daughter, April Lee Turner; two sons, Murray Noel Turner III and Daniel Cross Turner; a granddaughter, Eadie Noel Turner; two grandsons, Padraic Rangeley Turner and McDaniel Kane Turner; and a brother, David Lee Ross Turner. Noel's highly energetic personality shone through in his spirited storytelling. He was a loving and devoted husband and father. With his witty, optimistic nature, he enjoyed life to the fullest. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM Saturday, April 2, 2011 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, conducted by Dr. Paul M. Petersen. Visitation will follow the service at the church. Burial will be private. Honorary escorts will be members of the Spartanburg County Bar Association. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in his memory to The Salvation Army, P.O. Drawer 2909, Spartanburg, SC 29304; or Spartanburg Regional Hospice Home, 686 Jeff Davis Drive, Spartanburg, SC 29303. Floyd's North Church Street Chapel To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Murray Noel Turner please visit our Sympathy Store.