John Crawford Turner
1946 - 2024
John Crawford Turner, known to friends and family as “JT”, passed away at his home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina surrounded by his loving wife Linda and his two children, Lisa and John Turner Jr.
John Sr. was born in Newmarket, Ontario on July 9th, 1946, the beloved son of Doreen and Jack Turner. Unlike his father, a noted Toronto jazz arranger and band leader, John veered toward a life of golf. He lived for the fairway and made sure to get a game every day he could, especially at his beloved home course, Tanglewood Park.
When not golfing, John worked in the hospitality industry across Toronto. From famed haunts like the Balmy Arms in the Beaches to John Duck’s Tavern at the foot of Lakeshore Blvd and later, at the Longest Yard in Davisville, John was known as a fun-loving and gregarious host and friend. On weekend’s you would often see John walking along the boardwalk in the Beach with his shirt in his back pocket and his tan browned by the sun. That was John. A true original who lived everyday like it was his last.
John married Jane Munden (Gerry) in 1967 and lived in Scarborough where his children were born. He later moved to Burlington with the family before returning to the city following the end of his first marriage. He spent the next 35 years enjoying the single life and, of course, playing golf. In 2005 he relocated to Winston-Salem to be closer to his home course at Tanglewood. It was in North Carolina where he met and later married Linda South in 2012.
John will be deeply missed by his wife Linda and her parents Frank and June South. His daughter Lisa, along with her partner Brian, and her children Emilee (Andrew), Jack (Darcy) and Josh (Tara), and great-grandchildren Charlie, Fiona, Wyatt, Morgan along with John Jr, his wife Miriana, and their children Antonia, Alessio, and Nico all mourn the larger-than-life presence of a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
In lieu of a funeral, a celebration of life and memorial golf game will be planned for the fall. Ashes will be scattered at his favorite hole, and we will regale in a life fully lived.
JT would want you all to do the same. We will miss you, pops.
I first met JT as a bar tender at The Balmy Arms Pun in the Toronto Beaches area. He seemed to spend more time on the phone rather than serving at the bar so while standing at the end of the bar we would often phone drink orders in rather than wait till he was off the phone, that’s our John.
Going to miss my little buddy very much, we used to have dinner every Thursday as it was his day off. He used to amuse me with his sense of humour every week. When John move to North Carolina to marry Linda I would call every week when he wasn’t golfing at Tanglewood which was not often. His sense of humour never faded.
Sadly over the last year he was afflicted with a debilitating disease and that bright light of a personality started to dim gradually over the year.
My sincere condolences to Linda, Lisa and John Jr. along with all the family members.
I’m going to miss my little buddy JT.