Steven Jeffrey Turner

August 15th, 1956 - August 4th, 2019

Chatham, MA

Steven Jeffrey Turner, 62, died on August 4th, 2019 at Windsor Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing in S. Yarmouth from complications of COPD. Born in Braintree, MA, Steven moved to Chatham in 1957 with his parents. He graduated from Chatham High School in 1974, and after an AFS exchange year to Denmark in 1974-75, he attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of North Dakota. He had an easy facility with languages (Danish, French, Latin) and delighted in playing with rhymes, puns, jokes and verbal puzzles. He further expressed his creativity through building and design. He earned a living for some years as a commercial shellfisherman. His preferred space was the natural world, and he had incomparable knowledge of the Cape’s seas, shores, woodlands, roads and trails. A unique and independent character, Steven lived to connect with others through letters, visits, gifts and any assistance he could offer. His kindness and generosity to human and animal kin were legendary. Steven carried the burden of his mental illness with determination and humor.

Steven was pre-deceased by his father, C. Robin Turner, and his mother, Marian Anderson. He is survived and beloved by his sisters Suzanne, Gail and partner Chuck, Christine and spouse Cynthia, his nephew Colin, his niece Kayla, his stepmother Christie, his Swiss brother Gerry, his extended family and his many friends on the Cape and around the world. In lieu of flowers, his family requests donations in his memory to:

NAMI Cape Cod & The Islands, 5 Mark Lane, Hyannis, MA 02601-3792, http://www.namicapecod.org/.

A celebration of Steven’s life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, August 23rd at the Congregational Church, 650 Main Street, Chatham, MA. For online condolences, please visit https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/chatham-ma/steven-turner-8801297/add-memory.