Joan Turner passed away peacefully in Surrey, British Columbia on January 13, 2016. Joan was a beautiful, independent woman with green eyes and a smashing smile. Joan loved her family, her dogs, her home and her garden in Fleetwood. A lifelong learner; she enjoyed talking with new people, especially those who were different than her, reading the news and going on adventures.
Joan was born in Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire, England to Bill and Florence Benbow. She was the middle daughter of three sisters and became a young woman during WWII. She met and married Billy ‘Bill’ Christen, of Bradford, Yorkshire, (Royal Airforce) in 1947. Soon they had a daughter Betty. There was little in England after WWII for young families, so they immigrated to Toronto, Canada in 1952. Bill passed away in 1976 and Joan moved to Regina to be with daughter Betty’s growing family. When the family moved to Surrey, BC, Joan went with them. Joan met Harold Turner (born in England, raised in Saskatchewan) at a singles dance, and they decided to marry in 1981. During Harold’s retirement, they enjoyed travel to England to visit Joan’s family, then travelled the world, took trips in Harold’s van, gardened and Joan learned to paint. After Harold passed, Joan continued to live in Fleetwood, became a docent at Surrey Art Gallery, and enjoyed her dogs Charlie, then Georgie. She mentored her grandchildren as they attended university and travelled often to visit her family. An avid walker, she walked daily in her neighborhood and local parks and was known to talk with anyone she met, most especially if they had a dog.
Joan will be sorely missed by her daughter Betty, son-in law Michael, grandchildren Robert, David and Katherine, their spouses Suzanne, Kristine and Greg, great-grandchildren Kylie, Christabel and Alexis, and her good friends in Fleetwood. She received kind and excellent care at Surrey Memorial Hospital and at Fleetwood Villas where she lived her last year.