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Saturday, January 26, 2019

John Turner's Life


  John Turner's Life

April 2, 2016


John Turner
 
John felt a sharp pain in his chest and maybe wondered, “is this it?”  He was filling a tire with air in the yard and, as he fell to the ground, may have thought — “Is this all there is to life?  What about my life?  I was a good kid and did mostly what my parents asked of me.  No, I was not a mommy’s boy, but I didn’t drink, smoke or lie.  My parents insisted that I be honest in my dealings with other people, to work hard and go to church.  OK, I did sometimes tease his twin brother Jim or his little sister, Pat.  But it was all just good natured stuff and he never meant any harm.  

While still in High School, I got a job driving a school bus to pick up kids along the muddy or dusty and rough dirt roads of rural Edinburg, TX.  I learned to settle disputes among squabbling kids — but mostly used the wooden paddle I kept up by the driver’s seat to check the tire pressure each morning.  I also learned how to drive on muddy roads after the relatively rare South Texas rains.

After High School, I joined the army where I drove a jeep — chauffeuring Army officers and learning about army discipline.  I learned not to question my superiors and to drive them safely wherever they wished to go.  Some of the lessons I learned carried over for the rest of my life — like my affinity for khaki clothing.  As I lie here, staring at the sky, I am wearing my favorite khaki shirts and pants.  These long-sleeved shirts have been essential for protecting my light, /European skin from the torment of that hot, Texas summer sun.  But, for some reason, I decided not to make a career of the Army and returned to my family home in Edinburg.  I got a two-year degree in Agriculture from Pan American College which then led me to Texas A&M.  There I found Chemistry Class to be more than I bargained for.  So, I returned to Edinburg to seek my fortune.  It was there — in the Methodist Church — where I met this dark-haired girl that I found very attractive.  But my brother, Jim, was bolder than I and ultimately married her and they raised three kids.   

For a while, my brother Jim and I experimented with harvesting wheat in the American bread-belt.  We had relatives in Kansas so we stayed with them sometimes. We ultimately bought a used harvester and used it to harvest grain for farmers in South Texas until it became so worn out that it was no longer fixable. 

Ultimately, I got a job in the USDA Screw Worm factory at the old Moore Field Airbase west of Edinburg.  Male Screwworm flies were irradiated to sterilize them.  Then, when they were released in nature, they mated with wild females which then produced no offspring.  It was one of the few government programs that actually worked.  By rearing, sterilizing and releasing millions of these insects, Screwworms were eradicated across the Southern US and from South Texas.  But wild Screwworms could fly across the Rio Grande from Mexico to reinvest Texas, so the eradication program was extended into Mexico.  I made several trips into Mexico to assist with this program.  The end result is that these flesh-eating Screwworms are no longer a problem in the USA, Mexico, Central America and Islands of the Caribbean.

I met my wife through my mother.  Sherry nursed my mother for some ailment and Mom suggested that I meet her.  We married and produced the “light of my life” in Jeanette — now Jeanette Sterzack.   Jeanette’s husband, Steve, is a great guy and has proven to be a very good choice for a mate.

Later, I was moved to the USDA Lab in Kerrville, TX so we bought a home nearby and made it our permanent residence.   

Seems like everybody now has a computer, maybe I should get one.  But what the heck, I’ve got along OK for all the years without one and I have a perfectly good telephone.  Besides, they simply cost too much and I don’t know how to use one.  I certainly don’t need one to lay-out and sculpt the land for building another RV shed — which is what I’ve done for many years.

Maybe I was not a technology freak but I was a relatively good guy.  I often ate a salami sandwich for lunch and was never overweight.  Self-discipline dominated my life.   If I can be faulted for being essentially an honest, hardworking, freedom loving patriot — then so be it.  I continued working for a living until the day I died — which is right now.  Goodbye, everybody!

Table of Contents:  https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/6813612681836200616/3382423676443906063?hl=en


Tragic Death of Conly Turner


Tragic Death of Conly Turner
 
1914

Conly Turner



Note:  Conly Turner is Pat’s uncle — the older brother of these four.  The following is a newspaper story about the accident near Wellington, KS.

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Conley Turner and Family

Conly Turner Met Death in Pit Silo 1914

Woman and Boy Overcome by Fumes

Boy Fell Into Silo.  Mail Carrier Syers Risks Life to Recover the Bodies

A double tragedy occurred at the farm of U. G Mercer, two miles southwest of Wellington, Saturday afternoon when Miss Sadie Kelly, aged 85 and Conley Turner, aged 21 were killed in a silo which they were helping to clean.  It was a pit, or an underground silo, and was being prepared for the new ensilage.

Miss Kelly, who had been an employee of Mr. Mercer for ten years, and Turner, a neighbor boy, were assisting Mercer to clean the silo.  They had been bringing out the water and juices from the pit by the means of a bucket pulled up by a horse.  The pit was 26 feet deep.  when the water got too low for the bucket to dip, someone had to go down to fill the bucket.  Miss Kelly offered to go down, and after being lowered, she filled the bucket several times.  Suddenly she cried, “Mr. Mercer, haul me out quick.”  The Turner boy stepped over the pit and looked down, evidently to see what the trouble was, and the next instant plunged forward head first.  After he struck bottom he uttered a few feeble cries for “help."

Whether he was overcome by the fumes or accidentally fell it will never be known.  Mr. Mercer, who then was alone on the surface, called to Mrs. Mercer at the house to phone for help.

A small boy and a one-armed man came along within a few minutes but neither would go down in the pit.  Dr. Downing was the next to arrive, followed shortly by C. M. Syers rural carrier on route six.  The Mercer home was the last place served by his route, and seeing from a distance that something was wrong, he hurried forward.  Mr. Syers did not hesitate to offer his services in an effort to rescue the victims of the pit.  He was warned that the fumes were deadly, both the woman and the boy were probably dead, but he said he was ready to go down.

Tying a rope under his arms he was lowered.  He picked up the widow but was forced to drop her.  Sayers was brought out, weak and fainting, but was brave enough to take another attempt.  This time he was tied in the bucket, and given the rope with a loop in it.  He placed the rope around the woman both were drawn out.  Sayers was nearly overcome with the fumes, and it was necessary to let him revive somewhat before going down after the boy.  After a short rest he went down and brought up the boy.

By this time the city pulmotor had arrived in charge of Fire Chief Sunderland.  The victims had been in the pit about 45 minutes, and efforts at resuscitation were unavailing.

There was water and juice in the bottom of the pit to the depth of about 18 inches.  Miss Kelly was first overcome with the fumes from the ensilage and then drowned in the water.  It is believed the boy fell because he was overcome by the fumes, as there was a strong odor of gas coming from the top of the silo.  Mill Kelly was able to work in the pit for a while, so the theory is she had stirred up some ensilage that released a pocket of carbon gas which not infrequently forms in such places.

The body of Miss Kelly was shipped to Concordia, Sunday night where her relatives live.  She had been working for the Mercers for 10 years.  Conley Turner was the son of J. I. Turner, who lives a half mile south of Mercer.  His funeral was held this afternoon at the Baptist church of this city.  (He was laid to rest at Prairie Lawn Cemetery.)


On every hand are heard praises and commendations of Carrier Syers, who was courageous enough to risk his own life in an effort to save others.

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For table of contents for Win's Blog, check out: