Obituary of Merrill Edwin Turner

Merrill Edwin Turner, age 77, of Cass City, MI passed away at his home on Saturday, June 9, 2018 with family at his side. Merrill was born in Caro, MI on May 11, 1941 to the late Grant and Laura (Kelly) Turner. He was one of five children. After his graduation from Caro High School in 1959, he immediately joined the U. S. Air Force and served as a B52 tail gunner until 1963 when he attended Delta College. Merrill worked for AC Spark Plug in Flint, MI, Dow Chemical in Midland, MI, and later Dow Chemical in Rocky Flats, Colorado. While living in Arvada, CO he attended the University of Boulder, Colorado where he received his degree in Environmental Biology. He worked at Caro Regional Center, from 1976 until his retirement in 1991, then returned to work at the Michigan Department of Agriculture from 1992 until his second retirement in 1997. He loved fishing, target practice, gardening, traveling, boating with his dog Joe, and was an avid reader. He is survived by his wife, Christina; children, Scott (Robin) Turner of Van Buren OH, Misty (Dirk) DeLong of Cass City MI, Robert (Rachel) Coryell of Bad Axe MI, Megan (Travis) Middleton of Austin TX, Rebecca (Brett) Martin of Cass City MI; grandchildren, Layne, Brett (Faith), Drew, Ryan Turner, Kelly, Ryan, Carson DeLong, Austin Coryell, Logan Stark, Troy Middleton, Sean Dyer, Josh, Isabella, Scarlett Martin; great-grandchildren, Carter and Colton Turner; sisters, Madelyn Skaggs of Cass City MI, Jeanne (Dennis) James of Manistee MI; brothers in law, Michael O'Dell of Zebulon GA, Ed Paladi of Cass City MI; several nieces and nephews; and life long friend, Gerald (Ace) Mathewson. He was preceded in death by his brothers Milo and Gerald Turner; sisters in law, Cheryl Paladi, Bobbie O'Dell, Betty Turner and Doreen Turner; brother in law, James Skaggs; and grandson, Ethan Dyer. Cremation has taken place and a private memorial service has been held. To sign online guestbook, visit www.cremationsocietymidmi.com All sympathy store items must be sent directly to the family home.