Shirley Jean Turner Dunn passed away on December 31, 2020 at the age of 87 due to Covid-19 complications.
Shirley was born February 2, 1933 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Joseph Daril Turner and Lucile Pulver Turner. She was raised in a loving and caring family consisting of three sisters and two brothers. Shirley graduated from South High School where she performed in theatre productions and played on the basketball team. She also sang in a Stake Youth Choir where she met her high school sweetheart, Jared Leon Dunn. While Jared was serving an LDS mission, Shirley served an LDS Stake Mission. After their missions were completed, Jared and Shirley were sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple. Together, they raised three children in Sandy, Utah. She and her husband enjoyed serving as missionaries together in the Visitor’s Center on Temple Square and loved sharing the gospel with visitors from all over the world. Later, they happily spent countless hours researching family history, performing temple work, and completing church extraction work. Shirley was known for her positive attitude and work ethic and was missed by her colleagues when she retired from the Jordan School District. During her life she faced and overcame many health challenges with patience, resilience and by turning to the Lord. She was an accomplished seamstress creating intricately embroidered keepsakes for family and friends. Shirley also was a talented tole and oil painter. She carefully and lovingly tole painted rocking chairs, shelves, frames and other cherished items for every child, grandchild, and great grandchild. She also created beautiful oil paintings which she later gave as gifts to the members of her large and extended family. Shirley’s greatest joy was spending time with her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Her grandchildren looked forward to the delicious meals she cooked, the Christmas parties she hosted, and her yearly cousin sleepovers. Every grandchild knew that Grandma would always provide a listening ear, offer kind advice, share a safe place to stay and prepare a delicious sandwich made with love. Shirley was admired for her strong and unwavering faith in the Plan of Salvation and love for her Savior. Prior to death, she shared her great desire to return home to her Heavenly Father and to reunite with her husband, parents, and family members. Her last wish, prior to passing, was for her family to love more every day and to be kinder every day.
Shirley is survived by her children Jared Jr., James (Marianne), and Sheri (Kirk) Ebert, her siblings Barbara Lloyd, Gayle Flink, Diane Wright, and Lee Turner, 21 grandchildren, and 35 great grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her loving husband Jared, parents Joseph and Lucile Turner, brother Steve Turner, and twin grandsons Jacob and Daniel Dunn.
As a family we wish to express our appreciation for the love, service, and kindness extended to Shirley by family, friends, and health care providers during her final days of earth-life.
A visitation will be held 6:00 – 8:30 PM Sunday, January 17th at Larkin Sunset Gardens, 1950 East Dimple Dell Road (10600 South), Sandy, UT. As Covid precautions Larkin Sunset Gardens’ limits visitors to 50 @ a time and requires masks and social distancing. Funeral services will be held in-person and broadcast on Zoom at 11:00 AM on Monday, January 18th at the Crescent 7th Ward Chapel, 949 East 10600 South, Sandy, UT. Masks are required and those in attendance are asked to sit together in households. Due to Covid, the church allows only 99 people in the building at a time. Our 90 immediate family members, church leaders, and the Larkin staff total 99. During these unprecedented times, and even though we wish everyone could attend in-person, celebrating Shirley’s life by attending on Zoom is a wonderful option and will protect everyone’s health.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/95584922921?pwd=VFVCUTQzTG9FSS9Ec1F4Mng3Rkhzdz09
Meeting ID: 955 8492 2921
Passcode: 402039
I wanted to send a message to Shirley's family. I am very sorry that Shirley will no longer be with you physically. She will, however, always be with you. Everywhere you turn and at times when you least expect it, you will feel her there and be reminded of her!!
Aunt Shirley was a wonderful person! Every time I saw her at reunions she would always make it a point to come up to me and say hi and genuinely ask how I was and how my family was doing. I will dearly miss her kind, sweet spirit!
Love, Marci Maria and family
(Barbara's daughter)
Shirley was my older sister and such a great role model for me. She was blessed with the temperament of our sweet mother which was kind, soft spoken, not complaining, not speaking ill of others. I was blessed with our father's temperament which was opposite of hers. I know I annoyed her a great deal but the only thing she ever said to me about it was in a joking way that I tore up her favorite paper dolls. We were 7 years apart in age so were not especially close when we were young but that changed when we both married and had our children and especially in our older years. I loved her greatly and will miss her tremendously. Whenever we talked on the phone or in person we would always share our love for each other. I am so glad that she is now with Jerry, the love of her life. I express my condolences to her 3 children and all of her posterity. I know they will miss her greatly.
My aunt Shirley was one of the sweetest, kindest, most thoughtful and caring people I knew. She would call her sister Barbara often and ask how she and I was doing. She always put others before herself. Aunt Shirley loved her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren very much. Whenever a new great grand baby was born she would call to give me that child's name and birthdate so I could add them to the Turner sheets I do for the Turner reunions. I will miss her phone calls. At each of the reunions Shirley would go around to each of the families there and talk to them. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.