Barbara Turner

On Sunday, December 20th, 2020, Barbara Turner (née Lister), loving mother of Sue Lindsay-Jones, grandmother to two and great grandmother (Gigi) to four, passed away at home with family by her side, after a full life, at 99 years old.

Barbara was the only child born to Sidney and Eleanor Lister on September 23, 1921 in London within the sound of the Bow Bells (the church bells of St. Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside, in the City of London), making her a true “cockney”. Barbara lost her mother when she was 10 years old and was raised by her father and her aunt.

After leaving school at 14, Barbara served as an articled pupil (unpaid apprenticeship) to Watson and Company, studying accounting. Barbara spent the Second World War in London experiencing the nearly daily bombings first hand but rarely shared her memories. After her divorce from Sue’s father, Dick England, she raised Sue as a single mother and built a successful career in accounting and sales. She retired at the age of 60 from Sun Valley Poultry – a division of Cargill & Company, where she had served as its head of sales for 27 years.

She married Reginald (Reg) Turner on March 29, 1974, eloping in secrecy to Bermuda. After battling ALS for nearly three years, Reg predeceased her on June 19, 1983.

In 2004, at the age of 83, Barbara decided it was time to migrate to the United States to be close to her beloved daughter. She packed up her home, moved across the ocean and relocated to Rockford, IL. She became a US citizen in 2009.

Barbara loved to travel and, with Sue at her side, visited 34 of the 50 states. She especially loved the National Parks; two of her favorite spots were Yosemite and The Grand Tetons. Winters were frequently spent in the warmth of Florida, where her favorite spot was watching the abundant number of birds and wildlife at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island.

She had a passion for math and numbers that continued throughout her life. Barbara’s day was not complete until she finished at least three demanding Sudoku’s. She also loved word searches and crossword puzzles. Her love of learning continued throughout her life; she was always surrounded by reference books and one of her favorite questions was “why” and she kept digging until she had an answer. She was an avid reader until her eyes no longer cooperated. Having grown up in the early days of aviation, Barbara was fascinated by the space program.

Barbara loved horticulture. She visited many different gardens throughout the world. In England, she cared for a carefully manicured one-acre property; during her marriage to Reg, they enjoyed “arguing” over who was the head gardener! Once she moved to Rockford, she concentrated on the flowers on the deck of her condo. She loved watching all the different birds on the feeders hanging from her deck, keeping her binoculars and her bird reference books by her side.

Gigi is survived by her daughter Susan Lindsay-Jones, grandsons Richard (Jahna) and Nicholas (Lisa) Lindsay-Jones and great-grandchildren, Alex, Oliver, Madeline, and William, and her former son-in-law Michael Lindsay-Jones (Rachel Eastburn). Her family were her greatest pride and joy. Barbara had family and many friends on both sides of the Atlantic, including her nephew and niece (Gordon and Janys England), her godson Andrew England (Sarvani), and his brothers Charles (Marija) and Rupert (Mel) and their mother Elisabeth.

Barbara was very grateful for the doctors and staff who have cared for over the last few years: Dr. Peter Phelan (Nurses Julie and Jill), Dr. Fred Gahl (Rockford Pain Management), Dr. Susan Fowell (Northern Illinois Retina), Dr. Paul Revis (Dermatologist), Dr. Cullath at Swedish American Hospital and the Heartland Hospice team including Claudine and Stephanie.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, memorial services will be held in the summer or fall of 2021. In lieu of flowers, Barbara and her family would ask for donations to her closest causes: St. Jude’s Children’s hospital (https://www.stjude.org/), Shriners Hospitals for Children (https://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/shc), and Heartland Hospice Memorial Fund (https://www.heartlandhospice.com/Rockford).