Richard I. “Dick” Turner, 82

Richard I. “Dick” Turner had a peaceful and gentle passage into heaven on Sept. 4, 2022, with his wife, Collette, and family members at his side. Dick was born on April 20, 1940, in Kelso, Wash. He was adopted by Irvin and Josephine Turner as an infant. He always felt he had the BEST parents he could ever have.

Dick enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1960 and served for five years at bases in the United States as well as Iceland. He worked for Associated Sand and Gravel in Everett, Wash. for several years. He then worked for the E.J. DeBartolo Corp. at shopping centers in Seattle, Tacoma, Lynnwood and Tri Cities, Wash. He and Collette also owned and operate R. I. Turner Construction, Inc. for 18 years while living in Woodinville, Wash.

Dick met the love of his life, Collette, and they were married on June 15, 1979. They enjoyed 43 years together.

Dick is survived by his wife, Collette, his son, Jarrid Turner (Robin), son Marshal, bonus son Jeff Gust (Korrine) and bonus daughter, Julie Gordon. His grandchildren are Harris and Cassidy Turner, Kendra (Kyle) Frink, Rachel (DJ) McIntosh, Kirsten (Seth) Jines, Matthew (Ashley) Schneider, Celia and Isaac Gust. His great-grandchildren are Tucker and Remington Newcomb, Brooklyn and Ameylia Clemons, Coltyn and Sheltyn Ramsey, Kenzee and Noah Jines, Kyle and Mark Schneider.

Dick had wonderful lifelong friendships with Hugh McElroy and his lovely wife, Judy. Those two men could have been twins and it was a party when they were together! Dick got to go meet up with Hugh in heaven. Almost the first thing that Collette and Judy will hear when they get to heaven is those two laughing … LOUDLY!

Dick had a wicked sense of humor and loved nothing better than telling stories and jokes and pulling practical jokes! The grandchildren never knew when grandpa was telling the truth … and usually he wasn’t! His granddaughter, Celia, said her favorite part of fishing with grandpa was not the fishing, but listening to his stories.

Dick’s favorite pastime, after taking the grandchildren fishing and letting them drive the boat FAST, was bass fishing and NASCAR. Dick loved fishing with Jarrid and Marshal at the Potholes, Banks Lake, and the Columbia River in Washington. His favorite fishing spot in Idaho was on the Spokane River between Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene.

Dick had a great love of NASCAR. His all time favorite race car driver was Dale Earnhardt, Sr. but later his chosen driver was Kyle Busch, who won often, which made Dick very happy. He enjoyed teasing other race fans who were NOT fans of Kyle!

Dick was a great cat daddy, considering he thought he didn’t like cats 40+ years ago. He had his most favorite kitty, Iniki, for 20 years. He had Eli (the Terrible) for 10 years and Georgia (the Sweet One) for 3 years. Eli and Georgia reside with Collette.

Dick and Collette lived in Woodinville, Wash. until 1999 when they moved to Post Falls, Idaho. They loved Idaho very much. They moved to Coeur d’Alene in 2017. Dick accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior was baptized at home on May 5, 2022. He had 18 people witnessing. What a perfect day!

A celebration of Dick’s life will be held at Real Life Ministries in Post Falls, Idaho on Friday, Oct. 14, 2022, at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Hospice of North Idaho or the Kootenai Humane Society.