Kentucky Sen. Johnnie Turner of Harlan dies • Kentucky Lantern

Oct 26, 2024

Sen. Johnnie Turner, R-Harlan, spoke during a meeting of the Interim Joint Committee on Transportation, July 18, 2023. (LRC Public Information)

Kentucky Sen. Johnnie Turner of Harlan has died as a result of injuries received in an accident last month.

Turner, 76, was an attorney and had served in the U.S. Army as a medic. A Republican, he had served in the state Senate since 2021, representing Bell, Floyd, Harlan, Knott and Letcher counties. He served in the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2002.

Republican Senate President Robert Stivers said in a statement that Turner died Tuesday evening.

“Over the past weeks, his remarkable resolve and strength filled the Turner family — and all of us — with optimism, making this loss all the more difficult to bear,” Stivers said.

Stivers said the “loss is deeply personal to me” because he also knew Turner before they were in the Senate together.

“Johnnie spent his life lifting others—whether through his service in the U.S. Army, as a member of the State House of Representatives and State Senate, or in his private legal practice. His unwavering commitment to the people of Eastern Kentucky — his constituents, brothers and sisters in Christ, whom he so fondly referred to as ‘his people’ — was at the heart of everything he did,” Stivers said.

“Johnnie’s deep love for his family, community, and the region he represented will be remembered and cherished by all who knew him and were fortunate enough to have felt the positive impact he made. The effects of his tireless work on behalf of Eastern Kentucky families will endure, and his legacy of service and leadership will not be forgotten.”

In a post on Facebook, Sen. Phillip Wheeler, R-Pikeville, wrote:

“Johnnie was truly one of the most fascinating people that I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing. Born on Christmas Eve of 1947 into what was even for the time an atypically large family of 11 children, Johnnie grew up in Harlan County before attending the Red Bird Mission School where he worked on the campus to pay for his books and tuition.

“Johnnie served in the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1969 in the Panama Canal Zone where he met the love of his life Maritza to whom he was married for more than 50 years. Returning to the United States, Johnnie worked in a factory to earn the money to bring Maritza to the U. S.

“He subsequently attended Union College before attending the University of Kentucky College of Law. Johnnie literally practiced law longer than I have been alive, starting his career in January 1978 with former federal District Judge Karl Forester and continuing to practice until his accident in September. Johnnie became a ‘legal legend’ in the mountains trying hundreds of cases and representing thousands of coal miners.”

Calling Turner a “fervent Christian” and a “magnificent storyteller,” Wheeler said one of Turner’s goals in the House was to mitigate the “harsh workers’ compensation law” backed by then-Gov. Paul Patton and enacted in 1996.

Turner was injured and hospitalized in September when a riding lawnmower he was driving went into an empty swimming pool.

Other Kentucky officials offered condolences to Turner’s family and friends Wednesday morning.

U.S. Senate Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky issued a statement: “Elaine and I were saddened to hear of the passing of our friend, Senator Johnnie Turner. Throughout his service to Kentucky and the nation – in the U.S. Army, the State House, and the State Senate, representing Eastern Kentucky’s communities – Johnnie lived his life for others. In recent years, I remember crossing paths with Johnnie to survey the damage left by the devastating floods that hit Eastern Kentucky. Johnnie was on the scene, ankle-deep in mud, his equipment from home in tow, ready to help folks in Letcher County. That’s just who he was: a good man who loved the mountains and its people. We send our condolences to the entire Turner family, Johnnie’s colleagues in the Senate, and all those touched by his service.”

Gov. Andy Beshear said on X: “Britainy and I are saddened by the news of Sen. Johnnie Turner’s passing. We send our condolences and prayers to his family and friends during this difficult time.”

Republican Attorney General Russell Coleman wrote in a X post that Turner “was a true champion for his beloved Mountains. His steadfast leadership for our Commonwealth made a lasting impact on Eastern Kentucky.”

Republican Speaker David Osborne offered condolences to Turner’s family on behalf of the House of Representatives in a statement.

“Johnnie will be greatly missed and his loss will be felt throughout the halls of the Kentucky State Capitol where he served his constituents and Commonwealth so well,” Osborne said. “A committed public servant, Johnnie was an ardent champion and passionate voice for Eastern Kentucky. We are saddened by his loss, but know that his legacy will live on in those he helped.”

Turner’s family includes his wife, Maritza; his children Yazmin, Susie and Johnnie; and grandchildren.

A visitation for Turner will be held Friday, Nov. 1, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Harlan County High School Auditorium, 4000 North US Hwy. 119, in Baxter, Kentucky. Funeral services are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 2, at 11 a.m. at the Holy Trinity Church, 2536 South US Hwy. 421, in Harlan, Kentucky. The burial site is Resthaven Cemetery in Keith, Kentucky. Donations may be made to Red Bird Mission.

Turner was seeking reelection in the 29th Senate District after winning a contested Republican primary in May. He faced no Democratic challenger in the general election.

This story was updated Friday afternoon with funeral arrangements.

by McKenna Horsley, Kentucky Lantern October 23, 2024

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McKenna Horsley covers state politics for the Kentucky Lantern. She previously worked for newspapers in Huntington, West Virginia, and Frankfort, Kentucky. She is from northeastern Kentucky.

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