MRS. HELEN BERNICE TURNER's Obituary
Humble Beginnings: To everything there is a season; and a time to every purpose under the heaven……Ecclesiastes 3:1-2
Helen Bernice Turner was born on September 8,1932 to Piccola (Pendleton) and Leon Coleman in Palestine, Arkansas. She was the third of fifteen children - eight girls and seven boys - born to this union. As the eldest daughter, she was a mother figure to many of her younger siblings. She attended Stewart Elementary and graduated from Lincoln High School in 1950, both in Forrest City, Arkansas. At the age of sixteen she accepted Christ at Days Temple Church of God In Christ (C.O.G.I.C) under the leadership of Elder E.M. Day. Upon graduation from high school, Helen attended Dunbar Junior College in Little Rock, Arkansas studying elementary education and earned her Associates Degree. She was regarded as highly intelligent and an avid reader. There was rarely a moment that she was not reading a book that placed a wide smile, brightened eyes and enjoyment across her face.
A Virtuous Woman: “Who can find a virtuous woman?” For her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband does safety trust in her…...Proverbs 31:10-11
At the age of five, Helen met a seven year old boy who would later become the love of her life, George Arthur Turner. As longtime friends, he wooed her in her late teenage years by offering a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on. They married on September 1,1952 and later moved to Detroit, MI. There were five children born to this union - three boys and two girls. Helen worked as a postal clerk for the United States Post Office from 1965 until retirement in 1993. She so valued being a present parent in the home that she always worked the midnight shift, enabling her to be home in time to see her children off to school each morning. Helen and George joined Bailey’s Temple C.O.G.I.C under the leadership of the late Bishop John Seth Bailey. After his death, Helen served faithfully under the late Pastor James Madison Johnson. She maintained her membership there until she left this life under the pastorate of Elder Randall Greenwood. Helen was not a stranger to prayer, she lived a life committed to God and her family. The home she built with her husband was a faith-filled one, with scriptures quoted on many walls. It was rare to leave their home without joining hands in prayer. She sang hymns while cooking and cleaning and would often quote scriptures to her children while folding the laundry.
Precious Memories: I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith……………. II Timothy 4:7
Helen was a woman of poise, class, style and grace. She enjoyed boutique and catalogue shopping and liked to dress well. It was commonplace for her to receive compliments from strangers on her beautiful hazel eyes and her stylish appearance even at eighty-seven years of age. Helen was a charter member of a social club called the Elegants. The group was composed of ladies from various C.O.G.I.C churches who fundraised for organizations to help their communities and churches. They met monthly, rotating their meetings between member’s homes. As hostess, Helen would share her passion for decorating and homemaking, with a high standard for presentation. She was renowned for her southern cooking and baked goods. She also enjoyed beautifying her front yard and planting flowers with her grandchildren seasonally. Helen and George created a warm home environment and were known for their hospitality. Their home had an open door policy, with a number of friends and family members living with them to get their footing as they journeyed north from the south. Whenever you went to visit her home, the warm scent of coffee welcomed you in and you knew that you wouldn’t leave hungry. She enjoyed family gatherings and hosted large Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners annually. Family favorite dishes included her cornbread dressing, macaroni and cheese, peach cobbler and a variety of pies. She took great pride and joy in her family, was a loving and supportive wife to her husband and instilled strong Christian values in her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Although family activities often revolved around the church, George and Helen showed support for their children’s individual interests as well by attending their school concerts and performances, karate and other activities. Knowing that “it takes a village to raise a child” they established a network of parent support, which afforded their children enriching experiences and opportunities to broaden their horizons. As the children grew older, Helen kept in touch regularly by phone and visits, continuing to show her motherly love with gestures like sending homemade soup whenever you were sick. She established meaningful connections with each one of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, watching some while parents were at work and serving as a mother figure for others.
Helen had an endearing, generous spirit. She always had gifts and cards on hand to give at a moment's notice for any friend and family member’s birthday. She also cooked and packaged meals for the sick which George would deliver during hospital and home visits. Helen was the type of friend who nurtured and maintained relationships over decades by making daily telephone calls to stay in touch with long time friends. If you were Helen’s friend, you were a friend for life. In her final days, she reestablished her love for reading and enjoyed working word search puzzles. She lived a life that embodied faith, hope, love and patience.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I shall fear no evil for thou art with me…………...Psalm 23:4
On Tuesday, April 28, 2020, God sent an angel to support Helen in her sweet ascension to his heavenly home. She was preceded in death by her parents, Leon and Piccola Coleman, her brothers Marcus, Elmer, Archie, Herbert and Clarence Coleman and her sister Evelyn Terrell, her loving husband George Arthur Turner, and her eldest son and daughter, George Turner Jr. and Ava Denise Knox. Her love and memories remain in the hearts of her siblings, Abby Montgomery, Leona Brodie, DeJustice (Dorothy) Coleman, Dorothy (Harrell) Love, Mary (Ed) Coleman, Delores Ann (Willie) Norman, Elder Stanley (Lydia) Coleman, Willora (Winston) Alderson, her daughter, Valerie (Keith) Way, her sons, Derrick (Annette) Turner and Corey (Sharron) Turner, her daughter-in-love, Lynda Jordan; her grandsons, Sidney (TaLawnda) Bragg, Trevell Burton and Corey James Turner, her granddaughters, Radiance Turner, Stacie Turner, Ashley (Michael) Mason, Jade, Jasmine and Alyse Way; her great-grandchildren, Kori, Darius, Kameren and Kennedy Turner and Sebastian and Alivia Mason and a host of nieces and nephews, family and friends.
What’s your fondest memory of HELEN?
What’s a lesson you learned from HELEN?
Share a story where HELEN's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with HELEN you’ll never forget.
How did HELEN make you smile?
