CJ Turner

Charles James Turner died peacefully after a brief illness at Scarborough General Hospital on December 27, 2024. He is survived by his parents, Jim Turner and Anne Runyon, his sister, Kay Elizabeth Turner, his two children Shea and Cooper Turner and their mother, Caitlin Turner, and their grandparents, Doug and Cathy Good.

CJ, as he has been known from birth, was born June 20,1983 in Toronto. He attended Balmy Beach School, Glen Ames School and Malvern High School. He was a true “Beacher.” He loved his opportunity to play Goalie on the Select Hockey team, reluctantly went to Boy Scouts and loved all sports, especially watching football. He loved his Beaches friends and stayed close with them through the years. He was looking forward to spending more time with them on his return to Toronto in May of this year.

CJ graduated from McGIll University in 2006 with a degree in economics. After graduation, he moved to Denver, Colorado, where he obtained his MBA from the University of Denver.

CJ lived in Colorado for close to twenty years, where he worked for Janus Henderson, most recently as a fixed income trader. He loved the Rocky Mountains, cooking to country music and watching his Denver Broncos with his beloved dogs, now passed on, Maddie and Sam. He developed a deep network of friends and colleagues from all over the United States. This spring he moved back to Toronto to start a new chapter in his life.

CJ loved his kids deeply and treasured spending time with them. CJ got a lot of joy out of following Cooper’s softball statistics and talking chess strategy with Shea. They enjoyed many Florida pool days and cottage lake sunsets with their beloved Dad. In his Denver apartment, they shared countless dinners of “Dad’s Famous Spaghetti”. His keen intellect and blue eyes live on in his beautiful children.

CJ spent over 20 years loving and being loved by Cathy and Doug Good, his kids’ grandparents. Though his marriage with Caitlin ended, the love he shared with the Good family, and the memories of better times with Cait, remained to the end.

CJ loved to travel and did so extensively, both with his parents and sister and, later, with Caitlin and his kids. He also loved his food. He both loved to cook – he made his first scrambled eggs at 7 (on a foot stool) – and loved to dine in fine restaurants, always with a good glass of wine. However, his physical wants were few and he preferred a simple life. He loved playing golf with his friends and family. He and his Dad shared many happy hours on golf courses at home in Canada and in the US.

CJ and his sister had a special bond their entire lives but became even closer when they attended McGill in overlapping years. They loved nothing more than to spar, with love, over politics or current affairs with a glass of wine and a really good dinner on the table.

CJ was honest to a fault, loyal, generous, kind and always spoke his mind. He was always quick to laugh and quick to forgive. His humor was irreverent and quick and his (mostly) easy going nature made him truly fun to be around, wherever he was. He was stubborn as an ox and constantly worried about those he cared about. He was loved by everyone who knew him. He really, really hated traffic.

We are absolutely heartbroken by this sudden loss. CJ was deeply loved and will be missed beyond measure by all who knew him.

The family wishes to thank all the staff on the ICU at Scarborough General Hospital for their dedicated and loving care of CJ. Please consider giving blood, it extended CJ’s life and is sorely needed.

Visitation will occur on Saturday January 11 from 2 – 4 p.m. at Giffen-Mack and Trull Funeral Home, located at Main and Danforth (2570 Danforth Ave). Details on Toronto and Denver celebrations of life to follow.

In lieu of any flowers, the family requests contributions to college funds for CJs children, link accessible here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/memorial-for-cj-turner-college-funds-for-cooper-and-shea