Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A
Deaths
Alonzo “Lon” O. Turner
Jr.
Lon Turner, affectionately
known as "Mr. T”, died sudden¬
ly Tuesday, April 27,2004.
Mr. Turner was a long-time
resident of Cumming who
formed the original Flash
Crimson Band in 1976, at what
is now known as Forsyth
Central High School.
Mr. Turner leaves behind a
long legacy of remarkable
achievements made by his for¬
mer band students of schools
throughout the state of Georgia,
but his heart was in Cumming,
where he enjoyed a seven-year
period as Band Director for the
“FOC” & the Red Peppers.
Under his direction, the band
traveled to Atlanta and won the
first of many awards in the
WSB Salute to America Parade
in the summer of 1968. People
who heard Mr. Turners “FOC”
were amazed at the talent, spirit
& larger-than-life sound present
in every performance, he
received the award for Star
Teacher twice, selected by Star
Students Lowell Corn and
Laura Fowler. His home
remains filled with photos and
other mementos of his Flash of
Crimson years and the very
special kids he had the privilege
of teaching. Despite his intense
love of music, the kids always
came first. Students will
remember him for his sharp
wit, incredible aim, the “silver
flash” and his magnificent and
miraculous gift of music.
After retiring his baton,
"Mr. T” eventually was called
back to teaching, and continued
to do so in Forsyth, Gwinnett,
and Dawson counties up to his
last day on earth. It was of
utmost importance to him that
young people expand their
thinking and utilize their imagi¬
nation and creativity beyond the
walls of school. “Mr. T” began
playing trumpet at age five and
worked with many famous per¬
formers during his career. He
realized his dream of recording
an album, “Lon-gitude”, in the
1980s. Lon was also a devoted
RC model airplane builder and
flyer, and people who shared
his enthusiasm or this hobby
admired his fine craftsmanship
and attention to detail.
He is survived by his daugh¬
ters & sons-in-law, Shelley &
Steve Green of Cedartown, Lisa
Jo and Russeli Cash of
Dawsonville; brother and sister
in-law, Tom and Pat Turner of
Fla.; grandchildren, Genevieve
(Green) Harrison, Faith Green,
Nathaniel Turner Green, Jesse
Cash, Ben Cash; one nephew,
Jim Turner.
A private service was held
at Grace Baptist Church. A
public memorial and celebra¬
tion will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family
ask that you remember Lon by
a monetary gift to a high
school band boosters’ club or
church music ministry.
Ingram Funeral Home was
in charge of the arrangements.
Forsyth County News
May 2, 2004
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—FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS - Sunday, May 2,2004
Charles Echols
Mr. Charles Echols, 76, of
Cumming died Thursday,
April 29, 2004. He was a
member of Haw Creek Baptist
Church.
Survivors include wife,
Jessie Echols of Cumming;
daughter and son-in-law,
Debra and Jody Summerville
of Rome; sons and daughters
in-law, Wayne and Kathy
Echols of Cumming, Harold
and Tina Echols of Ball
Ground, Joey and Jane Echols,
Tommy and Robin Echols, all
of Cumming; grandchildren,
Amanda, Ashley and Allison
Summerville of Rome,
Zachary and Augusta Echols,
Justin and Jonathan Echols, all
of Cumming; brother, H.B.
Echols of Cumming; sister,
Fausteen Conkle of Forest
Park; other relatives also sur¬
vive.
Funeral services were
Saturday, May 1, at 2 p.m. at
Ingram Funeral Home Chapel
with the Rev. Jerry Orr offici¬
ating.
Forsyth County News
May 2, 2004
Mary Frady
Mrs. Mary Frady, 87, of
Forsyth County died
Thursday, April 29, 2004. Mrs.
Frady was a member of
Sharon Baptist Church. She
was preceded in death by her
husband, Israel Tate Frady.
Survivors include children,
Dorsel and Sara Frady of
Gillsville, Uvon and Shelby
Frady of Dawsonville, Collis
and Betty Frady, Charlie and
Tina Frady, Joyce and Jackie
Prichard, Eddie and Bertha
Frady, all of Suwanee, James
and Myra Frady of
Dawsonville, Johnny and
Kathy Frady of Buford, David
Frady of Suwanee, Alice
Frady of Dawsonville; 43
grandchildren; 95 great-grand¬
children; 10 great-great-grand¬
children; brother and sister-in
law, Larry and Rachel Teems
of Cumming; sister and broth¬
er-in-law, Maybelle and John
Barber of La.; a host of nieces
and nephews also survive.
Funeral services are
Sunday, May 2, at Ingram
Funeral Home Chapel with the
Revs. Rubin Smith and Lee
Frady officiating.
Ingram Funeral Home is in
charge of the arrangements.
Forsyth County News
May 2, 2004
Forsyth
County
News
OHtuaries
Flois Martin
Mrs. Flois Martin, 96, of
Alpharetta died Thursday,
April 29, 2004. She was pre¬
ceded in death by her hus¬
band, H.H. Martin. Mrs.
Martin and her husband man¬
aged the Webb Georgia
General Store in Alpharetta
for more than 40 years.
Survivors include daughter,
Dorothy Pirkle of Ellijay;
grandchildren, Debbie and
Junior Frix, of Ball Ground,
Tony and Susan McDuffie of
Sautee, Kent Pirkle of Ellijay;
three great-grandchildren; two
great-great- grandchildren*,
several nieces and nephews
and other relatives survive.
Funeral services were
Saturday, May 1, at 11 a.m. at
Ingram Funeral Home Chapel
with the Rev. Elmer Stowe
officiating.
Ingram Funeral Home was
in charge of the arrangements.
Forsyth County News
May 2, 2004
Judith Reagan Murphy
Judith Reagan Murphy, 56,
of Dawsonville died Friday,
April 30, 2004. She was pre¬
ceded in death by her mother,
Florence Patton Reagan, and
her two brothers, Jimmie
David Reagan and Luther
Benton Reagan.
Judith was a native of
Chattanooga, Tenn., but had
lived in Dawsonville since
1992. She was very active in
the Dawsonville community.
She did volunteer work for the
schools, including being the
president of the Dawsonville
Middle School PTA, and more
recently reading to the chil¬
dren at Kiiough Elementary
School.
Survivors include husband,
Patrick Kevin Murphy; son,
Justin Patrick Murphey; sis¬
ters and brother-in-law, Dene
R. and Sonny Rosenthal,
Mary R. Kuykendall, all of
Chattanooga; two nephews,
Keith Kuykendall, Erik
Reagan, both of Chattanooga.
Funeral services are
Monday, May 3, at 1 p.m. at
Ingram Funeral Home Chapel
with the Rev. J.W. Day.
Interment will follow at
Sawnee View Memorial
Gardens.
Ingram Funeral Home is in
charge of the arrangements.
Forsyth County News
May 2, 2004
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TURNER from 1A
Georgia Bureau of
Investigation medical examiner
ruled the death to be a homicide
by poisoning.
A Cobb grand jury indicted
Turner on one count of murder
in November 2002.
The state is using friends of
Glenn and Lynn Turner to illus¬
trate the defendant’s frame of
mind at the time of the alleged
murder. Cynthia McGee, a for¬
mer report line operator at the
Cobb County Police
Department where Turner
worked, testified that Turner
was not emotional at her hus¬
band’s funeral.
“It was very unusual. I did¬
n’t see any emotion from her
when he died. She wasn’t cry¬
ing. She wasn’t upset,” McGee
said.
While a group of women
including McGee were offering
Turner their condolences at the
graveside, McGee said that
Turner interrupted them to ask
a male officer friend, “Are you
still coming over tonight?”
“Our jaws dropped. We
couldn’t believe that type of
behavior,” McGee said.
Upon cross-examination,
McGee said she did not know
where or why Turner and the
policeman were meeting.
Defense attorney Vic
Reynolds tried to impress upon
the jury during cross examina¬
tion that a stoic demeanor at a
loved one’s funeral does not
mean Turner was unaffected.
He pointed out that she was
trained as a 911 dispatcher to
remain emotionless during high
stress situations.
“A 911 dispatcher is a posi¬
tion where that person needs to
remain calm, show little emo¬
tion,” Reynolds said, and
McGee agreed on the stand.
A member of the jury, one
of seven females, is a former
911 dispatcher.
A Cobb police officer and
close friend to Glenn before his
death, Donald Cawthon, said
Lynn did show emotion —
though it was not tearful —
during Glenn Turner's visita¬
tion before the funeral at
Patterson’s Funeral Home in
Marietta.
to I didn’t want this g—■ -m
police funeral in the first f
ing place,”’ Cawthon testified
that Lynn said at the visitation.
Four days after Glenn’s
funeral, Head said, Lynn moved
in with a man she had seen fre¬
quently since they met in
Cumming in 1994 — Randy
Thompson. Lynn bore their first
child, a girl, 10 months later at
their home in Cumming.
The state will try to estab¬
lish money as a motive for the
murder of Glenn Turner. Lynn
paid for and went on a seven
day cruise in June 1995 with
Thompson and another couple
using money from Glenn’s
$100,000 and $47,500 life
insurance policies, Head report¬
ed in opening statements.
In January 1997, Thompson
took out a $100,000 life insur¬
ance policy with Turner and
their daughter as beneficiaries.
In September 1998, he
increased the life insurance
benefit to $200,000 following
the birth of a son.
Thompson died mid-mom
ing*on Jan. 22, 2000, of heart
failure after a brief, flu-like ill¬
ness. The day of his death,
Head said, Turner called the
Social Security Administration
to inquire about payment of
Thompson’s benefits to her in
the amount of $1,432 monthly.
Within a week, Turner found
she could not collect
Thompson’s $200,000 life
insurance claim because his
coverage lapsed.
The state also will use wit
ness testimony to personify the
deceased. During his opening
statements, Head displayed a
photo of Glenn Turner in his
police uniform and Randy
Thompson in his firefighter’s
garb.
Though Cawthon portrayed
his friend as in the midst of a
troubled marriage, the witness
said Glenn Turner was a
“happy-go-lucky guy.” He was
nicknamed “Fat Boy” in their
“Rat Pack” of club-hopping
police officer friends, who
Glenn saw less and less after
his marriage to Lynn, Cawthon
said.
Prosecutor Russ Parker
asked Cawthon if Glenn T\imer
ever appeared suicidal.
"From knowing Glenn for
eight years, and around-the
clock for seven and a half
years, Glenn had a sound mind
... He knew he had a problem.
He had a path set out to correct
that problem,” Cawthon testi¬
fied Friday.
Thompson tried twice to
commit suicide in the past,
Reynolds said in opening
statements for the defense.
Head said he plans to show evi¬
dence that Thompson’s outlook
improved after he and Turner
separated.
After all evidence is intro¬
duced, 12 residents from rural
Georgia will determine if
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Tumer will spend life in prison.
Including alternates, eight
men and seven women are
serving on the jury during the
trial, which is expected to last
two to three weeks. Defense
attorney Jimmy Berry said he
selected jurors based less on
gender than on their ability to
consider the evidence without
partiality.
“We just wanted to get peo¬
ple who hadn’t heard much
about the case and who would
be strong enough to stand up
and say she’s not guilty,” Berry
said.
Special prosecutor Jack
Mallard said the defense elimi¬
nated several jurors that may
have leaned in favor of the
state.
“There were many strong
men and women that got struck
by the defense,” Mallard said.
“That’s the name of the game.
They try to get the strongest ofF
[the jury] and we’re trying to
get the weakest off.”
The state was allowed six
strikes. The defense was
allowed 12 strikes.
Attorneys passed a list of 45
potential jurors between their
tables in the courtroom in a
procedure known as “silent
striking.” Meanwhile Judge
Bodiford broke the nervous ten¬
sion by joking with the crowd.
The actual jury selection only
took about 20 minutes follow¬
ing two full days of question
ing.
Most of the selected jurors
or their spouses work on
Robins Air Force Base in near¬
by Warner Robins. Parker,
who is senior assistant district
attorney in Cobb, said the mil¬
itary background of the jury is
an asset to the case. He said
military personnel take their
civic duties seriously, and their
duty in this case is to render a
fair verdict. Jury selection
began Tuesday and proceeded
faster than officials expected.
The public may judge the
evidence for themselves as
they watch via Court TV. The
entire trial will be broadcast
live daily beginning Monday
morning.