Remembering Jerry Turner (1935-2020)
It is with a heavy heart to announce the passing of Jerry Mitchell Turner at the age of 84. Jerry passed away at his home in Highland Beach, Florida, on July 21, 2020. Jerry was brought back to North Carolina, his home, for burial by his family.
Jerry was born on December 20, 1935 in Winston Salem, NC, the son of Vardy Mitchell and Mattie Irvin Turner. He grew up in Fayetteville, NC where he met and married his high school sweetheart, Mary Vann MacLaughlin in 1954. Jerry enrolled at North Carolina State University graduating in 1959, one of a graduating class of three, with a degree in Landscape Architecture. Upon graduating he and Mary made Raleigh their home. In 1969 Jerry founded Jerry Turner and Associates, Landscape Architects and Land Planners, otherwise known as JTA, Over the next 51 years as President of JTA he oversaw the planning and design of hundreds of development projects ranging in size from several hundred acres for a master plan community, to small intricate designs of a residential client’s backyard. Jerry was a licensed professional in several states throughout southeastern United States but focused most of his career in the Raleigh and Cary area. He was a Planning Consultant to the Town of Cary prior to Town’s creation of a Planning Department. In 1975 he served as president of the North Carolina Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. He was on the Board of Directors of NC Design Foundation (1987-1988), The Home Builders Association of Raleigh and Wake County (1987-1988) and the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce (1985-1986). He was also a founding member of the City of Raleigh Greenway Commission. In 1997 he was honored as a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects that he proudly accepted at its annual convention held in Atlanta, GA.
Jerry had many other interests as well. He was active in the Raleigh Lions Club and an avid Jaguar enthusiast owning at least 20 different Jaguars throughout the years. His model Jaguar car collection surpassed all others. He could slalom water ski and snow ski with the best of them. For a while he had a pilot’s license and flew his own plan.
Jerry’s legacy lives on in not only the projects he was involved in, but in the people that associated with him. His ability to express and challenge designers to develop good design solutions, to think outside the box, to follow environmentally sustainable design practices even before it was acceptable, to test planning ordinances and zoning guidelines to create communities that value the principles of health, safety and welfare of their residence. These standard principals were just a part of professional experiences he fostered. He was a humble man, very accessible to everyone. He led a very family-oriented firm where every employee was part of that family. In good years Jerry would take the entire office and their spouses on an excursion to warmer weather in the Caribbean or on a trip to the ASLA National Convention. It was fun and exciting to work for him and with him. He will always be my Mentor.
He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Mary M. Turner, three children, Debora Turner Oster ASLA and husband Clint of Boca Raton, FL, Gregory Mitchell Turner and wife Dawn of Mt. Ulla, NC and Karen Turner Roberson and husband Keith of Cary, NC. He has four grandchildren, Carey Mitchell Oster and wife Coral, Christopher Lewis Oster, Dylan Mitchell Turner, Kasey Van Norris Turner and two great grandchildren, Pearl Vanda Oster and Clint Finn Oster.
