Carole Turner

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our mother, Carole Jean Crook Turner, 90, of Bossier City.  Carole passed away December 28th, 2025 surrounded by her family.  Born and raised in Mason City, Iowa, Carole was an only child.  Her dad was a decorated officer who was killed in France in WWII. Carole was training to be a nurse when she became engaged to her first husband Jack Payton.  Her education was interrupted when they married and he joined the Air Force.  Their first child, Kelly, was born before they arrived permanently in Bossier City in 1959.   They soon had two more children, Steve and Cindy.

During the 1970's, Carole found herself a single parent to 3 teenagers.  As evidence of her resilience and tenacity, she was juggling two jobs when she enrolled at LSU-S, completing a bachelor's degree while in her 40's.  When her children were older, Carole met and married her soulmate of 39 years, Wayne Turner.    Carole and Wayne toured the world and the country together before settling down in Tyler, Texas.  Together they shared a great love of football (Go Cowboys!) and baseball (Rangers all the way!) and anything and everything Texas.

Carole was an avid reader and especially enjoyed Native American history.  Santa Fe was her favorite place to visit and she had a small collection of Hopi and Navajo kachina dolls.  She also loved games and never missed a chance to play cards or dominoes with friends and family.  In her later years, she passed the time enjoying conversation and activities with her friends at The Bloom in Bossier City. Here, her lifetime love of baseball led her to join in community games of bean bag baseball.  She would often excitedly tell her family that her arm was 'hot' today and she had scored multiple home runs for her team.

Carole is survived by her three children, Kelly, Steven, and Cynthia and four grandchildren.  Her wish was to have her ashes spread on a hilltop near Tyler where she and Wayne often picnicked, a site where his ashes were spread six years prior.  Soon, on a lovely spring day, there will be a family gathering and celebration of her life and then they will rest, together again, back in their 'home' city, under the Texas sun.