April 10, 1917 - February 5, 2016
Authentic, steadfast and hard-working, Adrian was known for being kind, honourable and a man of his promise. He had a great sense of humour and lived by the motto he learned early in life – “do it now!”
He was born in Vermillion, Alberta, to Sarah Agnes Alexander and Mark Ernest Turner. After a short stint in Edmonton he and his siblings, Evelyn and Alan, moved to Coquitlam with his mother to live with his Uncle Vic and Aunt Alice, eventually settling in North Vancouver when he was 8. Adrian left school early to help support his mother, brother and sister. Adrian was an avid reader whose lack of formal education did not quell his appetite for knowledge.
Adrian and Joyce met by chance at a train station and fell madly in love. In 1939, Adrian proposed beside the famed 9 o’clock gun in Stanley Park. They married in May,1940 and together raised their family in North Vancouver eventually moving to Kerrisdale in 1965. Adrian began his career as a shingle sawyer at age 16 (the youngest on record). He retired from Canadian Forest Products in 1980 and moved to Courtenay, BC where he and Joyce established “el Cielo Septimo” (their seventh heaven). Adrian spent his retirement tinkering - he loved working on old cars, caring for animals including many strays, tending to gardens, and riding his tractor.
Adrian was fiercely independent and strong, even chopping his own wood, until the very end. He was a man of character whose quiet strength lives on in everyone who knew him. He is survived by his wife Joyce, of 75 years (+9 months), his children Alex (Helena Hartwood), Judy Acheson, Paul (Monica), Rosemary House, Jennifer (Martin Davidson) and John along with 14 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his brother Alan and predeceased by his sister Evalyn Terrilon.
Thank you to all the caregivers who contributed to his long and healthy life and especially those who comforted him in his final days.
A Memorial Service will take place on Friday February 12th at 1:30 - St. John the Divine Church, 579 Fifth Street, Courtenay.