Amy Margaret Turner

Amy Margaret Christie Turner, age 97, was born on October 21, 1917, in Emerson, Arkansas. On February 20, 2015, she went to be with the Lord. Margaret was preceded in death by the love of her life and husband of 54 years, Clarence Orlando Turner, her father, Thomas Ambrose Christie, and her mother, Amy Elizabeth Matthews Christie. She will also be joining her siblings, Loniel Albert Christie, Thomas Ambrose Christie, Jr., James Ray Christie, Charles Herbert Christie, and Elizabeth Ann Christie Reddin. She leaves behind her loving daughter, Peggy Turner Richardson, beloved son-in-law, Paul Richardson, and her precious grandchildren, Travis Richardson and Sara Richardson. She also leaves behind her beloved sister-in-law, Mary Christie, and extended family members – Paula Garrison, Jared Garrison, Rachel Campise, Mary Stephens, and Terra Mager. She had numerous nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews who were near and dear to her heart who will feel her loss.

Margaret loved her family more than anything in this world. She devoted herself to all of them, their happiness and welfare. First and foremost, even more than her family, Margaret loved the Lord, and served Him in every way she was able all of her life. She loved children, traveling, and visitors. Her home was a welcome haven to one and all. No one in need was ever turned away from her door.

Growing up during the depression was difficult for everyone, but for Margaret’s family, who lived on the farm, it was pretty severe. Margaret helped her father to take care of the family, especially when he was away in the Navy. She farmed, picked cotton, cared for her ailing mother, and mothered her siblings. She and her mother made dresses and quilts from feed sacks and fabric scraps. Times were hard, but they survived.

In 1934, at age 16, Margaret found and married the love of her life, Clarence Turner. They courted under the watchful eye of her father, and married when the Turner family moved from Emerson to Warren, Arkansas. They were constant companions, deeply in love, and married happily for 54 years.

Over the years, Margaret and Clarence lived in a number of cities and towns in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. In Fort Worth, Texas, Clarence had his own electric motor repair shop, where Margaret kept the business books. They moved to Orange, Texas, during WW II, when Clarence was hired to work in the shipyards wiring the guns on the nation’s battleships. After the war, the two moved to Houston, Texas, where Clarence was employed by Mull Electric Company. From that time on, Houston was their permanent home.

Margaret and Clarence loved children, and tried for years to have children of their own. They found that they were unable to, and prayed that God would send them a child their own. In 1951, they adopted their daughter, four-month-old, Peggy Ann. They raised Peggy in a loving and caring Christian home. Peggy could not have had better parents had she picked them herself. She loved her family, and thanked God daily for giving her such a family. God blessed them with everything they needed to be a happy family – each other.

Although having a child of her own was an answered pray for Margaret, she was nevermore happy than when she was given grandchildren. God blessed her with two – Travis and Sara Richardson. Her two grandchildren were the apples of her eye. She showered them with all the love and tenderness her heart could hold. They were the most precious people in the world to her. Margaret loved spending time with them playing games, cooking with and for them, and even enjoyed just watching them at play. Travis and Sara spent a many hours with their grandmother, and loved her dearly. 

Family was always near and dear to Margaret’s heart. She made sure that her brothers and her sister was always close to her and to each other. Although they were all living in different parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas, Margaret made sure that they all saw each other as often as possible. When travel wasn’t practical, she phoned each one several times a month just to make certain they were all doing well. Close family ties weren’t limited to just her siblings, she extended her love and care to her aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews on both sides of the family. She took in any family members that needed a place to stay for as long as they needed a home. She met their physical needs with whatever resources she had, and shared her sweet Godly spirit with all of them.

She helped Clarence make it through electrical school in Chicago. She worked at J. C. Penney’s in downtown Houston for many years, quitting for fourteen years to raise their daughter. Margaret went back to work at Penney’s on Shepherd when Peggy went into junior high school, and continued to work there until she retired. After retirement, Margaret and Clarence travelled. They, of course, visited relatives, but they also made trips to Maine, Florida, California, Hawaii, Canada, and Europe. Margaret continued to travel with friends and family throughout the country and abroad, even after Clarence’s death.

Margaret was a faithful servant of the Lord. She spent all her life working in the church, and being involved in mission work. Raised a Methodist, she converted to Baptist when she married Clarence. Through the years, she served as a President in Women’s Missionary Union (WMU), as a Girl’s Auxiliary (GA) leader, and a Sunday school teacher for children, teens, and adults. She ministered to the elderly, college students, and the homeless. She served on several pastor search committees and bereavement committees. Margaret served in whatever capacity she was called for that would help others and serve God.

Amy Margaret Christie Turner will be missed, and will always be loved. She was loved and cherished by many, family and acquaintances alike. God smiled on Margaret, and knew her as one of His own. After a fall that lead to dementia and Alzheimer’s, God called Margaret home. While it is our loss that she has gone and left us behind, we are comforted by the knowledge that Margaret is now living in her magnificent mansion, wearing her many jeweled crown, standing by Clarence’s side, and rejoicing at the family reunion in Heaven. God is surely smiling at her and saying, “You have done well my good and faithful servant. Your work is done, and it’s time to rest.”