Linda Jo Turnbull-Lewis

Tahlequah, OK- Memorial services for Linda Jo Turnbull -Lewis will be held on Tuesday, February 20th 2018 at 10:00 AM with Reverend Michael Russo officiating. Online condolences for her family may be left at www.reedculver.com.

Linda Jo Turnbull-Lewis was born on July 28th, 1946, in Barnsdall, OK, the daughter of Joseph William and Irene Pola (Edwards) Turnbull. She grew up in a household with two brothers, Jerry and Errol. After graduating from high school, Linda gained 30 plus years of experience in marketing, brand development, special events, and entertainment management for major full destination gaming and resort properties in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the Native American Nations. She served as Executive Administrative Assistant for Shirley McClain while performing in Las Vegas. She then began a job as assisted Corporate General Management for Sahara Casino Partners. From 1989 until 1993, she served as Marketing Manager and Program Director for Chief Wilma Mankiller. From 1993 until 1999, she worked independently as marketing and special projects manager for the gaming representatives of 27 different tribes, as well as Tropicana, Camel rock, Taos Mountain and San Felipe Casino in Hollywood. From 1999 until 2012, she returned to the Cherokee Nation, under then Chief Chad Smith, as marketing consultant for 7 casinos, and the 3,ooo employees working there. In 2013, she worked with Kyle Smith, the Redwinds Group Founder, marketing, organizing, and coordinating over 100 Native American Entrepreneurial Empowerment Workshops, providing the Native communities across the country support from the US Small Business Administrative Office of Native American Affairs. She loved people and making their lives a little bit better. She had a winning smile a can do attitude and a giving spirit, and she was never too busy to talk to people who needed her advice. When she wasn’t working, she loved and adored time spent with her boys, Christopher and Michael. She had seven grandchildren that were the light of her life and she was always ready to support them in all of their school functions. She loved any chance to gather them together to spend the day talking and laughing and just being together. For the things she wanted to accomplish with her life, she passed from this life on February 8th, 2018 in Tulsa, OK. She was 71 years old. She will be greatly missed by all those who knew and loved her.

She is preceded in death by her father and her grandparents.

Those left to cherish her memory include her mother, Irene Pola (Edwards) Turnbull, two sons, Christopher Russo and Kellie Myers of Tahlequah and Michael Russo and wife Dajana of Rochester, NY. She leaves two brothers, Jerry Turnbull and wife Angie of Glendale, CA and Errol Turnbull and wife Debbie of Kansas City, KS. She lives on in her seven, soon to be eight grandchildren, Christopher Michael Russo, Anthony Christian Russo, Autumn Sky Russo, Alexander Nicholas Russo, Mia Amadora Russo, Rachel Isabella Russo, and Hannah Russo, as well as nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of friends and loves ones.