MEMORIAL RESOLUTION CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF ROBERT L. TURNER SENIOR
WHEREAS, Robert Lee "Joe" Turner Senior, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and 16th Ward resident, transitioned on July 4, 2022 at 76 years of age; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of Robert's passing by the Honorable Stephanie D. Coleman, Alderman ofthe 16th Ward; and
WHEREAS, Robert, or "Joe" as he was affectionately called by friends and family, was the ninth child born to Ophelia "Mama Shug" Turner on May 8, 1946; Ophelia who moved her family to Englewood in 1956 where Robert grew up a loving child and protector of his entire family; and
WHEREAS, Robert confessed Christ and was baptized on September 1, 1959 at St. Mary's M.B. Church under the leadership of Rev. J.J. Warren; Robert graduated from Englewood High School in 1964, where he made lifelong friends from the community; and
WHEREAS, Robert was a hard worker who refused to retire; he worked as a doorman at a high-rise in the north side of Chicago and took great pride in greeting and offering assistance to residents of the building, meeting celebrities and politicians, and treating everyone with love and respect; Robert also worked as a building engineer at 999 Lakeshore Drive, where after decades of work, finally retired in 2019; and
WHEREAS, Robert married the love of his life, Ernestine, and to this union produced three loving children, and he adopted sons, Mark and Keith, as his own; after a long separation, Robert met Mary Bank who gave him a lovely set of twin boys; and
WHEREAS, Robert was loved by everyone who he encountered, had a great sense of humor, took pride in being a sharp dresser and loved his family and friends in a way no one else could; and
WHEREAS, Robert is preceded in death by his beloved mother, Ophelia "Mama Shug" Turner; four brothers, Will, John, Roy, James a.k.a. "PeeWee"; four sisters, Lizzie, Hattie, Verlene, and Dorothy, and one son, Mark; Robert is survived by brother Eugene; sister...
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