John E. Turley
John E. Turley lost his hard fought
battle against cancer on Sunday, August 22, 2010. John
was surrounded by his family as he quietly passed from his
temporary home on earth to his permanent home in Heaven with
his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
John Edward Turley, Jr. was born on March
26, 1931, at a ranch house east of his family ranch near
Musselshell, Montana. He was the third child and first son of
John E. and Minnie O. (Burton) Turley.
John grew up on the family ranch south of
Musselshell. He attended elementary school at Mountain Home
School, a small country school just half a mile from their home.
John was a high school athlete in both football and basketball and
graduated in 1949 Musselshell High School. John attended and
graduated from Montana State University in Bozeman in 1953 with a
degree in Animal Husbandry. He was also in the ROTC program
specializing in primary pilot training. He was Second
Lieutenant in the Air Force upon graduation.
John married his high school sweetheart,
Faye Rose McCleary, in 1952. After college, John and Faye were
stationed on Air Force Bases in Oklahoma, and California. John
left the military in 1956 and he, Faye and two children Jim and
Marty moved back to the family ranch south of Musselshell.
Their son Bret and daughter, Millie, joined the family in 1960 and
1961.
In 1961 John was diagnosed with lymphoma and
was given three months to live. Through the efforts of family
and friends an experimental cancer treatment was found at New York
Memorial Hospital. John survived the treatment and the
disease. Through this first battle with cancer, John
brought chemotherapy back to Billings, Montana in 1961.
John and Faye lived at the family ranch near
Musselshell until 1983 when they leased the ranch and moved to
Billings. After leaving the ranch John realized he was too
young to retire and worked at various construction and ranch jobs
until 2000.
John and Faye then started heading south for
the winter with their fifth wheel and spent the cold months in San
Diego and the Phoenix area until April of 2009 when John was
diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Once again he fought a
valiant battle but finally lost the war on August 22nd. John
felt blessed with 48 more years than anyone ever expected.
John always said “I know I’m on borrowed time. I just asked
God to keep me alive long enough to get my kids raised.” And
God granted him that wish.
John was preceded in death by his parents,
John and Minnie Turley; his brother, Martin Turley; and his three
brothers-in-law, John Cooley, Jack Bell and John McCleary.
John is survived by his wife of 58 years,
Faye; his four children and eight grandchildren, Jim (Rita) Turley
of Billings, Cole and Rachel; Marty Jo (Allan) Holliday of Shepherd,
Lindsay and Lee; Bret (Michele) Turley of San Diego, Dustin and
Landon; and Millie (Doug) Vescovi of Roundup, Leah (Nick) Larson and
Lance; one great-grandchild, Ellary Larson; his three sisters,
Louise Bell of Great Falls, Edythe McCleary of Billings, and Mary
Cooley of Musselshell; and many nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held at 10:00 A.M.
Thursday, August 26th, at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 1241
Crawford Drive in Billings. Grave side services will be at the
Musselshell Cemetery at approximately 12:45 p.m., followed by a
lunch at the Musselshell School. The casket will be open for
visitation at Michelotti-Sawyers on Wednesday from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. and
at the church prior to the funeral service.
In lieu of flowers, please send memorials to
the Friends of Musselshell School. P.O. Box 14, Musselshell., MT
59059 or the Billings Clinic Cancer Center, c/o Billings Clinic
Foundation, 2917 10th Ave. N., Billings, MT 59101.
Remembrances
Please leave your name and remembrance in this public guest book. Your comments will be shared on this page and forwarded to the family.
When I
drove past your home Monday and saw numerous vehicles I worried that
John may have died. My heart and prayers go out to you, Faye, and to all
of the family. I am sorry for your loss. He was a good man. God’s
Blessing to you all.
Terry McCarthy
To John Turley's Families:
My thoughts and prayers are with you, now...John is no longer
suffering and is in a better place. God Bless Mike and Cheryl
Goffena Families
Faye, Millie, Doug, Leah, Lance, and the
entire Turley Family,
We are so sorry for the loss of John. He was a great man and
will be sorely missed. Our prayers and thoughts are with you as
you grieve. May God comfort you.
With love,
Rachelle, Jeremy, and Stella Morton