Mr. Kenneth Joe Turner, age 71, of Vernon, AL, passed away Tuesday, January 26, 2021, at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Columbus.

Joe was born November 22, 1949, in Birmingham, AL, to the late Zadus Turner, Sr. and Ruth Thompson Turner.  He was a devoted member of the First Free Will Baptist Church where he was widely known and loved throughout.  He was also the City Superintendent for the City of Vernon where he met some of his lifelong friends and co-workers.  He was also preceded in death by his infant brother, Walter M. Turner, and his grandparents, Lloyd and Docia Turner, and M.E. and Artmemisa Thompson.  Joe loved his children with the entire world and somehow saved room to love his grandchildren even more.  We would often spend time with them on camping trips filled with many exclusive and wise conversations.  He was passionate about his family and the simple things in life like his garden, and helping his friends that he had so many of.  Throughout the years, he and his wife Diane created a loving and supportive household where all were welcime, including lifelong friends Dale and Jan McGee, Frankie and Frances Beasley, and Hugh and Lana Windle, as well as cousins, such as James Sherrel Yerby and Mickie Jefferies.  It cannot be understated Joe's importance to the people around him, the foundations he has built his family with will remain tethered for generations.  Joe's faith, his unrelenting devotion to his family, as well as his sheer work ethic set him apart from the people around him and made him so successful in every facet of life.  He will be remembered as a man who always meant well and never faltered in a time of need.  His wise advice and life lessons will live though his children and grandchildren, and his  imprint on the people he cared about is one that will never be forgotten.

Funeral services will be Friday, at 2:00 PM, at the First Free Will Baptist Church in Vernon, with Joe Beckon officiating.  Burial will follow at Union Chapel.  Visitation will be at the church 1:00-2:00 PM prior to the service.

Pallbearers will be Ramona Thompson, Scott Thompson, Charles Thompson, Joe Banks Thompson, Hugh Windle, Frankie Beasley, Redus Stokes, and Savelle Rasbury.

Survivors include his wife, Diane Turner, of Vernon, AL; two sons, Jody (Ashley) Turner, of Sheffield, AL and Walt (Cassy) Turner, of  Vernon, AL; four grandchildren, Zane and Isabel Turner of Sheffield, AL, and Wit and Wynter Turner of Vernon, AL; one brother, Zadus (Martha) Turner, of Vernon, AL; and a host of other family and friends.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to your church, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, or to the charity of your choice.