Dennis F. Turner Obituary (1949 - 2024)

Dennis Floyd Turner, 74, of Perry, died March 23, 2024 in Machias, after a brief illness. He was born in St. Stephen, NB, on April 9, 1949, the son of Wesley J. and Frances M. (Morrison) Turner. He was raised in Eastport and Perry, attended Eastport schools, graduated from Shead Memorial High School in the Class of 1967, and from Husson College with a B.S. in Business Administration. On August 22, 1970, he married the love of his life Gwendolyn M. Cline, of Campobello, NB. Dennis and Gwen settled in Eastport where they raised their daughter Amy and son Jeffrey. Beginning as a teenager, he worked for the Mearl Corporation and its successors in Eastport, where he gained expertise in chemistry and became lifelong friends with fishermen from both sides of the border who delivered scales to be made into pearl essence at the Mearl. Dennis learned a love of boats at a young age, beginning at the family camp on Boyden Lake where he learned to row a boat tethered to a hook installed on the shore by his grandfather Morrison. Over the course of his life, he cherished a succession of boats and time spent on his beloved Passamaquoddy Bay and beyond. He held a Merchant Mariner Certificate and, in his retirement, enjoyed part-time work as a tugboat operator for the Port of Eastport. He was a man of many talents, with an intellectual curiosity that led him to read and research many diverse topics. He was a student of local history, could converse knowledgeably on almost any subject under the sun, and was a fount of wisdom on the stock market and investments, happy to share his insights with family and friends. A licensed pilot, he was long active in the Eastport Airport Committee, and was longtime volunteer for Eastport’s former ambulance corps. He also served for a number of years on the Eastport School Board before he and Gwen moved to their home on the Shore Road in Perry. He was predeceased by his father, mother, and stepfather Harry J. Raye. Besides his wife Gwen, he is survived by his daughter Amy, of Perry; son Jeffrey and daughter-in-law Jessica, of Robbinston; two cherished granddaughters, Tori & husband Nikolas Edwards, of Hudson, and Cassidy Turner and companion Parker Williams, of Rochester, NH; and two great-grandchildren Chloe and Myles. Survivors also include brothers and sisters-in-law David & Dorothy Turner of Port Charlotte, FL, Kevin & Karen Raye of Perry, William & Ada Raye of Marshfield, and Judith Turner of Eastport; brother-in-law and his wife Gerald & Tracy Cline, of Campobello; three step-brothers and their wives Gary & Carol Raye of Lincoln, James & Lorie Raye of Eastport, and Stephen & Donna Raye of Embden; one uncle and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. In accordance with Dennis’s wishes, there will be no funeral service. Those who wish may make gifts in his memory to North Perry United Methodist Church, PO Box 145, Perry, ME 04667, or Sarah’s House of Maine, 346 Main Road, Holden, ME 04429. Fair winds and following seas until we meet again…