Mrs. Ann Dixon Turner

Ann Jacqueline Dixon Turner, of Mobile and Fairhope, was born on February 27, 1936. It would be a shock to absolutely no one if it were discovered that she arrived several hours before her appointed time and had the nurses pose awkwardly for pictures with her mother, Mercy Pittroff Dixon, in the delivery room. In the nearly 90 years after her birth, from the Great Depression to the age of autonomous cars and cryptocurrency, Ann left a lasting and remarkable impact on her community that will continue to reverberate for generations to come. Even as she aged, she was open to learning new things. Take for example when she learned at age 65 that her birthday was actually February 28th.

A wife to Horace Turner III; mother to Kim Collins, Horace Turner IV, Grace Pond, and Elizabeth Cole; sister to Grace Dixon; and “Granny” to 11 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren, Ann loved and cherished her family above all else. Evidence of this can be captured at the very least in the sheer time and dollars spent developing film throughout the years. If you were lucky enough to know our “Granny,” you surely received a package in the mail containing a stack of 4x6 photos of you and your loved ones celebrating, graduating, convening, or matriculating. This act of service was a labor of love. Ann collected memories - her own and those of the people she cared deeply for. These pictures, scattered throughout her home, changed over the years - this despite the replacement of film photography with the introduction of a brand new iPad (she would henceforth send photos digitally to be printed). It is truly a blessing to always have the need to capture new memories for display. The good shareholders of Walgreens owe a great debt of gratitude to Ann Turner for inflating the prices of their stocks.

Ann married Horace Turner III in September 1957 and they set about starting and raising a family at their longtime home at Wilshire Road in Mobile. The local newspaper described the match: “The bride-elect, the attractive daughter of Ms. Mercy Dixon, is a graduate of Bishop Toolen High School, where she was a member of the Sodality. She has held office in the national and local chapters of Alpha Delta Kappa sorority. Mr. Turner, son of Mr. and Mrs. Horace Samford Turner, Jr. is a graduate of University Military School and a former member of the Deltas. He is at present attending Alabama Polytechnic Institute, where he is affiliated with the Phi Delta Theta fraternity.”

Ann worked throughout her life, at home raising her children, at Metzger’s Clothing, and at Dillards Department Store. She retired in 2012. Her grandchildren were the proud recipients of what had to be nearly one thousand beach towels purchased throughout the years using her employee discount.

She was an avid reader and purchaser of books. In retirement, she found joy in volunteering at the local library in Fairhope. She made fantastic macaroni and cheese and “green surprise.” She warned her grandchildren often about the dangers of the world, encouraging them to act in moderation, to not set their drinks down, and to remember to take (and share) lots of pictures. She loved teaching them lessons through quick and witty aphorisms that she could recall on command such as, “You can’t soar with the eagles if you spend all night hooting with the owls.” She had a curiosity for everything her family did, often purchasing books that were referenced off-hand or that were relevant to a subject they were learning about in school or for work. She might even let you borrow some of these books, so long as you signed them out and weren’t overdue on any previous ones. She loved the Auburn Tigers. She enjoyed lunch with family. She brought a birthday cake to every Christmas party. She liked sweets. She asked leading questions about politics. She once drank a beer on a boat in the middle of the morning. She was guilted into quitting cigarettes a few decades ago by one of her grandchildren. She sent birthday cards at least three weeks before the actual birthday. She was known to call and text well before working hours. Her grandchildren will fondly remember her running through the yard at the Bay House in Point Clear during annual adult Easter egg hunts. Later in life she would encourage them to drop the adult part of the Easter egg hunts in her continuous efforts to teach them to grow as they aged.

She possessed a willful and persistent nature that allowed her considerable influence over those around her. She once met with a Lieutenant Colonel of the Marine Corps in Cherry Point, North Carolina, and convinced him to allow her grandson, who was recovering from oral surgery, to be allowed leave in order to have lunch with her at the Outer Banks.

Ann was a parishioner at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Fairhope. She was an active member of the Treasures senior group. She undoubtedly redeemed many a soul through the near-global dispersion of holy cards and holy water. She gave consistently to charitable causes, even throughout her final months of sickness.

She modeled how to treat those that were performing a service for her. Not only tipping but thanking, complimenting and encouraging. She has authored countless letters to management personnel singling out staff members that had performed notably in their tasks.

She always chose positivity, believing that a good attitude had the power to point the way to God even in difficult times.

Ann Turner shared her final 68 years with Horace, our beloved Pop, and a remarkable 86 years with her sister, Grace. Affectionately known both in the family and about town as the Baldwin Sisters. Her four children and their families, scattered from Indiana, to Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, to Florida and throughout Mobile and Baldwin counties, are thankful for the many years of health and happiness they experienced with their Turner family matriarch. They would like to express their gratitude for the special care Community Hospice and the all staff at Seagrass Village of Daphne showed the family in the final weeks of Ann’s life.

Ann entered the presence of her Savior on May 9, 2025, and her voice will forevermore be joined with the heavenly choir of angels singing praise upon the same Christ she loved and worshiped during her time here.

Funeral Services are set for Thursday, May 15, 2025 at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Fairhope. The family will receive visitors at the Church at 10:00am, followed by a Requiem Mass at 11:00, with a Celebration of Life Reception at noon.

Rest eternal grant unto her, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon her. Requiescat In Pace, Granny. Amen.