Norman Turner

Norman Clyde Turner passed away on February 16, 2020.  Norman was born on January 19, 1929, in Bluffdale, Utah, to Samuel Clyde and Birdie Jones Turner.  He grew up in Bluffdale and graduated from Jordan High School in 1947.  He attended two years at BYU, then served for two and a half years on an LDS mission in France.  He then continued his education at BYU, and there he met Barbara Jean Hughes.  They married on March 2, 1953, in the Salt Lake Temple.  He was drafted soon after into the army for two years during the Korean War, and served as a special agent for the Counter Intelligence Corps.  After his release from the army, he went to Germany for one and a half years as an investigator for the State Department.  Norman then returned to BYU, where he received his BA and MA degrees in French and Spanish.  He then obtained his PhD from Syracuse University in French Literature.  Norman spent two years as a professor of French Literature at Indiana State College, six years at San Diego State University, where he was chairman of the French Department.  In 1970 he returned to BYU as a professor of French Literature in the French and Italian Department, where he served as Chairman of the Department for several years.  As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Norman has served in many callings.  He served as bishop of the 8th Ward in San Diego, as well as bishop of the 17th Ward in Orem.  He also served as agent bishop for Utah Valley.  Norman served as an ordinance worker at the Provo Temple, and he was a volunteer at the MTC in Provo for several years.  He and his wife Barbara served as mission president and companion in the Italy Catania Mission from 1983-1985, and were called to Romania to serve as director of translations in 1996.  Norman is survived by his wife Barbara and by his four children: Gary (Nadine) Turner, Douglas (Lori) Turner, Michelle Turner, and Lisa (Tony) Strickland.  They have thirteen grandchildren and 33 great-grandchildren.  He is also survived by his younger brother William J. Turner of St. George and Garry Crump, husband of his late sister Karen Crump.  He was preceded in death by his sisters: LaRee (Reed) Anderson and Karen Crump.

Funeral Services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, February 22, 2020 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Chapel on 745 N. 600 W., Pleasant Grove, UT. Viewings will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, February 21 at Sundberg-Olpin Mortuary 495 S. State Street, Orem, UT. and Saturday from 9:30-10:30 a.m. prior to the services at the church.

Condolences may be expressed to the family on this page.