Services for Mary Elise Bush Turner of Sunflower were at 2 p.m. Saturday at Sunflower Baptist Church.
Mrs. Turner, 96, died Wednesday, July 26, 2017 at Bolivar Medical Center in Cleveland.
Burial was in Indianola City Cemetery under the direction of Boone-Card Funeral Home, Indianola.
There was visitation one hour prior to services at the church.
The Rev. Elbert McKnight officiated at the services.
Mrs. Turner was born on January 31, 1921 to Albert Jasper Bush and Flonnie Arant Bush and married Gerald Elden Turner of Drew on Dec. 24, 1943. They were active members of the Blaine Baptist Church and the Sunflower Baptist Church.
Mrs. Turner was a Master Teacher in the Sunflower County Public school system for 39 years and worked closely with the Mississippi State University Education Department in organizing the first kindergarten class in Sunflower County at Ruleville Elementary in Ruleville. She also taught at Indianola Academy. She was a member of Sunflower Baptist Church, WMU, Delta Kappa Gamma, Sunflower County Homemakers and was a 4-H Club sponsor.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, Gerald Elden Turner and daughter Tarlei Turner Hitchcock.
She is survived by two daughters, Donna Turner Britt (John) of Indianola and Tammy Turner Naron (Duane) of Houston, Texas; two sons, Gerald Elden Turner Jr. (Wanda) of Richmond, Va., and the Rev. Robert Bush Turner (Becky) of Merigold; son-in-law Thomas Hitchcock of Greenville; 13 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, please send memorials to Sunflower Baptist Church, P.O. Box 175, Sunflower, MS 38778.
