Mary Lalla Turner

 Mary Lalla Byrn Turner, formerly of Paducah, died on September 9, 2010, in Denver, Colorado. She was 93 years old. Mrs. Turner was the wife of Dr. Walker M. Turner, who practiced medicine in Paducah for over 25 years. They moved to Colorado in 1996. Dr. Turner died in March 2006.

            Mrs. Turner was born in Mayfield, Kentucky, daughter of Pauline and Chester A. Byrn. She graduated from Mayfield High School where she received the “The Best Female Student Award.” She then attended Ward-Belmont College in Nashville, Tennessee before transferring to Duke University where she graduated in 1937. After college she worked in the office of Congressman Noble Gregory in Washington, D.C. She returned to Kentucky and married Dr. Turner in 1938.

            Active in numerous civic organizations, Mrs. Turner was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, serving as an Elder, singing in the choir and being a leader in the women’s activities. She was a member of the Little Garden Club, The Gardeners, The Kalosophic Club and the Charity League. She took great pride in her work with the Paducah Symphony League and the Paducah Symphony Board. She played violin in the orchestra during its early years. Mrs. Turner was an avid student of history and genealogy, writing several volumns of her families’ histories. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the McCracken County Historical and Genealogical Society.

            Mrs. Turner was a devoted mother and grandmother. She is survived by her five children, Walker Marshall Turner, Jr. (Brynda) of  Golden, Colorado; William P. Turner of Prescott, Arizona; Emily Turner Knight (Christopher) of Glencoe, Illinois; M. Caroline Turner of Denver, Colorado; and Henry F. Turner of Crownsville, Maryland. She is also survived by her nine grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. 

            A joint memorial service for Dr. and Mrs. Turner will be held in Paducah, Ky., at the First Presbyterian Church on Saturday, September 18, 2010 at 2:00 p.m.. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the music fund of the First Presbyterian Church, 200 North 7^th Street, Paducah, Ky. 42001.