Louise "Weesie" Mae Turner

Louise Turner, fondly known as "Weezie" passed away at her home on January 19, 2016 at the age of 90. Louise was born on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois on July 28, 1925. She was strong, sassy, energetic and VERY full of life. Louise moved from the Big City of Chicago to a farmhouse in the Pontiac/Cornell area when she married her husband of 25 years, Cletus Turner, who preceded her in death. Louise gave birth to her daughter, Susan Turner, eighteen months after her marriage to Cletus. Weezie was very proud of her daughter, who retired as a Chief Master Sergeant from the United States Air Force and now resides in Titusville, FL.

Prior to moving to the Pontiac area, Louise worked as a Ticket Agent for the Illinois Central Railway shortly after finishing school. Many of her weekends, as a young lady in the 1940s, were spent dancing to the music of the Big Bands at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago and she even “shook hands with Lawrence Welk!”

After moving to the Pontiac area, Louise worked hard throughout her life, holding many positions including working in the offices of a local trucking company and a garage, and then as a factory worker in Streator, a switchboard operator at Illinois Bell and then as a switchboard operator at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Streator. She retired from St. James Hospital in Pontiac after 18 years of employment working in the cafeteria “feeding the doctors and employees”, many of which she enjoyed seeing when she was out on her daily trips around town.

After retiring from St. James Hospital, she began working at McDonalds in Pontiac and became a ‘mentor’ to many young teens. She was given an “Honorary Recruiting Award” by the local Military Recruiting Office after mentoring five young teens to follow her daughter’s footsteps in joining the United States Air Force. Louise was able to provide ‘first hand’ knowledge about life in the United States Air Force after having visited every Military Base where her daughter served, with the exception of Korea.

Weezie spent the past 20 years enjoying her visits with her extended families at Sartoris, Champion Fitness and County Market. She enjoyed the friendship and long talks with the employees at Sartoris when she went to pick up her medicine or the daily newspaper. She also enjoyed the hospitality and friendship of the employees and gym members at Champion Fitness, where she ‘worked out’ several times a week, even at the age of 90. She always entered with a smile and left with an even bigger smile after visiting with people of all ages. She enjoyed her weekly trips to County Market, where she may have spent no less than a couple hours, just to pick up an item or two. She made sure she stopped to talk to the employees at each department (produce, meat and bakery) and spent a little time with the people at the front desk and at the registers. Weezie did not enjoy having to go to the doctor, but loved to go just to see everyone at Dr. Hough and Dr. Murphy’s office, Dr. Sipe’s Office and Dr. O’Connor’s office.

Weezie lived at Sterling Estates Mobile Home Park for the past 26 years and ‘enlisted’ the Pontiac Police Department to assist her in forming a Neighborhood Watch Program in the park, which still exists today. She especially enjoyed visiting with the ‘Men and Women in Uniform’ with the Pontiac Police Department, the Pontiac Fire Department, Livingston County Sheriff’s Department and Duffy Ambulance Service and was well known by all of them. She did not let their uniforms scare her from offering an opinion when she had something to say and they always lent her a patient ear.

When Weezie had her mind set to do something, it was all or nothing and that is how she looked at life… Whether it was helping her neighborhood, serving the people and doctors at the Cafeteria at St. James Hospital or just making people stop and think about things. She was a force to be reckoned with, in a small frame.

When saying ‘Good-Bye’ to anyone she ever met, she only asked one thing, and her exact phrase was “Hey, do me a favor---and Have a Nice Day!” They always walked away with a smile.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Pontiac Police Department, the Pontiac Fire Department, the Livingston County Sheriff’s Department or to St. James Hospital.

Memorial Service to be held on February 6, 2016 in Pontiac, Illinois. Details are pending.