Fred Douglas Turnage, 97, passed away peacefully July 7, 2018 at his home in Arbor Acres, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Fred was born September 24, 1920 to Clayton Fredrick and Lou Johnson Turnage in Ayden, North Carolina where he spent his early years. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Elizabeth Turnage, his son Douglas Turnage, his brother and three sisters. He is survived by his daughter Betty Griffith; son-in-law Ross Griffith; daughter-in-law Evelyn Turnage; stepdaughter DeeDee McDermott; granddaughters Suzanna Griffith and Margaret Griffith; great grandchildren Josephine Carter, Abigail Carter and Ross Roufail; and many other loved ones and family members. The family extends a special thanks to Tanya Brown and Voncille Thomas and every other caregiver for their compassion and warmth during such a hard time.
Fred attended Wake Forest College prior to serving in the U.S. Army in Korea, 1942-1946. He returned to Wake Forest to attend the School of Law where he received his J.D. in 1948. He was a trial lawyer with the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice 1948-1965. He is known to have never lost a case he tried in that division. He joined the law firm of Cleary Gottlieb Steen and Hamilton in Washington, D.C. 1965; became partner in January 1968; and retired from the firm in 1986.
Fred was an avid supporter of Wake Forest University’s School of Law, Wake Forest Athletics and the Wake Forest College of Arts and Sciences. He was a recipient of the prestigious Distinguished Alumni Award in 1978 from Wake Forest University. Fred was a member of the Deacon Club for over 60 years and a member of the Hunter Moricle Society for a number of years. He was additionally a lifetime member of the Law School’s Board of Visitors. Fred also enjoyed immensely golfing and fishing and living at the Outer Banks with his wife. He and his wife were active members of Trinity United Methodist Church.
A memorial service will take place at 11:00 am on Wednesday, August 8, 2018 at Trinity United Methodist Church, 3819 Country Club Road, Winston-Salem, NC.
In lieu of flowers, gifts can be made to the Wake Forest University School of Law, Worrell Professional Center 2115 West Winston Salem, NC 27106 and Hospice and Palliative Care Center 101 Hospice Lane Winston-Salem, NC 27103.
