- Date Of Birth: November 22, 1963
- Date Of Death: March 10, 2009
- State: Illinois
Rodney (Rod) William Turner, 45, of Des Moines, Iowa, passed away on Tuesday (March 10, 2009) at his home.
Rod was born on November 22, 1963, in Galesburg to William “Bill” and Sharon Sopher Turner. He spent his first years in the Oneida area. He then moved to Galesburg, where he spent the majority of his life. In recent years, Rod lived in Colorado and Des Moines.
Rod graduated from Galesburg High School. He worked several years at Maytag. He then worked at various jobs in Colorado and Iowa. His last job was working construction in Des Moines.
Rod was married to Deborah Logsdon. They had three children, Becky, Mike and Marc. He married Sherry Eskridge Sullivan on April 21, 2001. His wife survives. His father-in-law, Ronald Eskridge, and his friend, Marcella Pikrel, of Galesburg and his mother-in-law, Patsy Eskridge of Galesburg, also survive.
Rod has a daughter, Rebecca Turner (Brad Mulhatten), of Galesburg, and a granddaughter, Addisyn, as well as two sons, Michael Turner of Colorado and Marcus Turner of Galesburg. In addition, he has three step-children, Jill Sullivan of Colorado Springs, Jennifer (Joel) Locano of Des Moines, and Daniel Sullivan of East Moline. He has 4 step-grandchildren, Kayla, Caden, Kelsee and Caprice.
Rod’s father, Bill Turner, and his wife, Debbie, of Oneida, and his brother, Tom Turner, of East Peoria, survive. He is also survived by his mother’s twin sister, Karen Raymond of Galesburg and his grandmother, Trella Sopher of Knoxville. There are also many cousins, nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, and close friends.
Rod was preceded in death by his mother, Sharon Turner, and his sister, Kari Jo Shipley.
Rod loved to be outdoors, in nature, always exploring, experiencing and learning. Life was never boring to Rod. When he lived in the Galesburg area, he spent a lot of time at Spoon River where he would hand fish, canoe, swim, go camping and just have a good time. In Colorado, he expanded those interests, adding all the beauty of the mountains to his playground. He loved an adventure; it was always the journey, never the destination that mattered to Rod.
Rod loved to party and be around people. He was known for throwing impromptu cookouts, complete with fireworks. Rod loved cooking…and eating. You never knew what Rod was cooking up, but he was a good cook. If you wanted to see his eyes light up, you would hand him a mess of mushrooms you just found. He appreciated the good things in life. He enjoyed life to the fullest.
Rod had a way with words and could put a person at ease just by talking to them. He loved to tease and kid around. He had a quick wit and a good sense of humor. He loved to talk on the phone and stayed in close contact with his children.
Rod will be dearly missed by many.
