Obituary -- Robert D. Turner, Artist; Humor Was A Constant Companion

The life of Robert Dale Turner spun like a mad comedy. There were times so dark the only way out was to laugh. Other moments were so funny they inspired tears.

His death Friday (July 29) of complications from AIDS, therefore, was particularly poignant.

Mr. Turner, 43, was the son of the Rev. Dale Turner, a prominent Seattle minister who retired as pastor of University Congregational Church in 1982 after 24 years. Rev. Turner also writes a column that runs in The Seattle Times on Saturday's Religion page.

A native of Lawrence, Kan., Mr. Turner moved with his family to Seattle in 1958.

He graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1969 and attended the University of Washington for three years. However, he decided to put college on hold to work on Capitol Hill remodeling old homes.

He also became familiar with the budding computer- graphics field and designed logos for several local businesses. KCTS-TV (Channel 9) hired him as a computer designer in 1978. He won an Emmy for his graphics work on a KCTS documentary.

A decade after leaving the UW, Mr. Turner went back to school to get his bachelor's degree in fine arts.

In 1987, he became a computer-graphics demonstrator for a California company, a job that took him all over the world.

But in 1993, too ill to keep working, he settled back in Seattle.

Even as AIDS took away much of his eyesight and made him increasingly weak, Mr. Turner remained in touch with the lighter side of life.

"He had a quick wit and a ready smile - a very loving son," the Rev. Turner said.

These qualities developed out of childhood, his mother, Leone Turner, said.

She remembers dozens of occasions when her son, as a young boy, would make sense of his life not with profound statements but with humor.

After the family returned from a trip to Europe and the Middle East in 1962, his mother said, he joked to some schoolmates: "Well, I've been to the Holy Land, but I've never been to Disneyland."

"He did this Academy Awards party every year, where everyone had to dress up as a past winner or a present nominee," recalled Dave Thorbeck, a friend and former roommate. "We gave our own award during the show, the `Coveted Golden Velveeta,' - carved in the shape of Oscar."

"His way of dealing with life was to look it in the eye, stare it down and make a joke," Thorbeck said. "He looked at the serious things without being overwhelmed by them."

Mr. Turner is survived by his parents, Dale and Leone Turner; his brothers Greg of Concord, N.H., Charles of Seattle and Drew of Santa Rosa, Calif.; six nephews and two nieces.

Memorial services are scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday at University Congregational Church, Northeast 45th Street and 16th Avenue Northeast. Remembrances may be sent to the Northwest AIDS Foundation or any AIDS-related charity.