William Joe Turk

 Services will be Thursday, August 29, 2024, at the Claremore First Methodist Church, 1615 SH 88, Claremore, Oklahoma at 10:00 am. with Graveside services at 1:30 in the Fort Gibson National Cemetery 1423 Cemetery Rd, Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. The Service will be videotaped live and available on Claremore FMC. Website or Facebook page. 

 William (Bill) Turk was born in Claremore, Oklahoma, February 22, 1939. He went to be with our Lord, August 21,2024 from Tulsa. Oklahoma.

 At the age of 16, while attending High School, he enlisted in the ROTC Air National Guard, serving his country for eight years. In 1957 he graduated from Daniel Webster High School. In 1958 he attended Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma. That was the year he married Nancy Jane Birley. The marriage lasted 13 years and they had one daughter, Melody Jane Turk. He finished his college education at the University of Tulsa in 1965, with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering. In 1964, he was called to active duty as a flight engineer on C97’s, and flew the Pacific including Viet Nam, Japan, and the Philippines. Those were some of his fondest memories. After his discharge, from the service, he obtained his pilot’s license and flew small Cherokee airplanes as a hobby for several years.

 Immediately after graduation, Bill was hired by Continental Oil Company, and moved to Ponca City, Oklahoma, then Billings, Montana. Fifteen months later, he accepted a position in Houston, Texas, with Brown and Root. Bill had an amazing career with this engineering company. He enjoyed designing, evaluating and constructing oil refineries all over the United States, Mexico, Spain, France, New Guiana, and the Virgin Islands, until he retired in August of 1999.

 In 1974 He married Nancy Louise Rice in Claremore Oklahoma, and adopted her daughter Theodora they lived in Houston Texas before retiring to Claremore in 2017, and finding a beautiful home with a porch from which they could watch geese on the pond. They joined Claremore First Methodist Church, with whom they toured the Holy Land in 2020. After that life changing trip, Sunday Church services became the highlight of Bill’s week for the remainder of his life. Bill and Nancy would have been married 50 years on August 27, 2024.

 He was preceded in death by his parents Joe and Mildred Turk, and grandmothers Elsie Chiles and Ethel Turk. Bill is survived by his wife, Nancy Louise Turk, and daughters, Melody Trip, husband Scott of Llano, Texas and Theodora Turk of Eugene, Oregon. Grandchildren: Dalenne Garcia, husband Mike, Lorren Carrasco, husband Brandon, Winston Trip, wife Maci, Austin Trip, wife Brittany, and Flora Nash. Great grandchildren: Gavin, Gracelyn, Jordan, Christian, Mallory, Slayton, Saylor, and Maddox. Sister: Kathy Smithson, husband Jack and their children: Jack and Tammy.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial gift in Bill Turk’s honor to Claremore First Methodist Church.