The Rev. Sue M. Turner died on October 31, 2022, at the age of 82.
Sue was born on May 18, 1940, in Jamestown, NY to Louis L. Turner and Ruby Turner. She was the second of three sisters. Her childhood experience included walking in the woods, planting trees with the Girls Scouts, and picking wild strawberries in the early morning with her mom. She attended the American Baptist church with her parents as a child and then a Methodist church as a teenager.
Sue received her Bachelor of Science in Home Economics in 1962 following which she taught Junior High School Home Economics until 1966. She then dedicated herself full-time as a homemaker and as a mother of her three daughters. During this time, she found the Jefferson Unitarian Church in Golden, CO, and involved herself in the religious education program, conducting children’s worship, leading singing, and social action. She also continued her graduate degree and earned her Master of Education from Antioch College, OH (1975). Following graduation, Sue worked as an instructor of political science at the Community College of Denver, CO.
Soon after, she began to search for religious value and spiritual strength. Her involvement in the life of the Jefferson Church allowed her to begin a formal process of recognizing her emerging theology. She developed a deep abiding interest and passion for the Unitarian movement, served a term as President, and was a member of their Ministerial Search Committee. She also got involved with the churches in the district and realized that serving Unitarian Universalism as a professional leader would be the best opportunity to live her life. With this call, she entered the Iliff School of Theology, CO, and earned her Master of Divinity in 1983.
Rev. Turner was ordained by her home congregation, the Jefferson Unitarian Church in CO, on December 4, 1983, where she served as minister-at-large from 1983 to 1987. Unique about her ministry at the Jefferson congregation was its project orientation. Rev. Turner associated herself with the Foundation for Urban and Neighborhood Development, a non-profit organization with a history of structural social change and the mitigation of social impacts in the western United States and Pacific Basin. Her ministry dealt with the creation of structural social change which enhanced personal power enabling people to discover their options and strengths through the active process of dealing with their vulnerability. In addition to the benefits of projects of this at-large ministry, Rev. Turner supported the church’s work by creating a network of people working together to support Unitarian and Universalist principles and purpose in the non-UU community.
Following Jefferson Unitarian Church, Rev. Turner served as a district executive for the Mountain Desert District, Boulder, CO (1987-1994), and a district consultant for the Ohio-Meadville District, Akron, OH (1994-1998). She was creative, collaborative, and a contributor to open and constructive communication developing healthy functioning Districts.
After eleven years in denominational district work, Rev. Turner served as an interim minister to the following congregations: Woodinville UU Church, WA (1998-1999); Saltwater UU Church, WA (1999-2000); the UU Church of the Lehigh Valley, PA (2000-2002); the UU Congregation at Willamette Falls, OR (2002-2003); and the UU Congregation of Rockville, MD (2003-2005). Her interim works were a complementarity of congregational goals and organizational structures. She brought into her ministry highly developed skills in organizational development. Subsequently, Rev. Turner provided her interim services to the First UU Church of Rochester, MN (2005-2006); the UU Church of Cheyenne, WY (2006-2007); and the UU Metro Atlanta North Congregation, Roswell, GA (2008-2009), before her retirement on August 1, 2009.
Rev. Turner’s ministry was aimed at raising the dignity of people in communities which were made vulnerable by societal change. Her holistic, inclusive approach to life was healing and energizing to all those who experienced her. She could identify the spiritual dimensions of the grittiest and most political dimensions of social service and social justice work.
She was deeply involved denominationally, participating at the Mountain Desert District (MDD) Leadership Weekend, and serving as Vice President of the district UUMA chapter. She supported the UU Women’s Federation and the UU Metro Denver Urban Coalition, as well as MDD efforts.
In her spare time, Sue loved tending the garden, spending time with her family and friends, and being involved in her community. She was a frequent visitor to the saltwater pool at the Great Sand Dunes. She was a gifted musician and a singer.
Sue is survived by her two daughters, Teresa Kent Zink (Michael) and Mary Kent (Quince Rickard); five grandchildren, Skyler Clark, Henry Zink, Lilly Clark, Anna Zink, and Turner Rickard; and her two sisters, Anne Huffman, and Sally Furman. She was preceded in death by her youngest daughter, Jane Kent Clark.
A celebration of life will be held on July 1, 2023, at the Jefferson Unitarian Church in Golden, CO. (Anyone interested in attending can contact Teresa Kent Zink at teresa.zink@gmail.com).
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her name to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the World Wildlife Fund, or the Alzheimer’s Association.
Notes of condolence can be sent to Teresa Zink, 115 Biddle Rd., Paoli, PA 19301 or emailed to this address: teresa.zink@gmail.com.