- Born on: July 6, 1930
- Departed on: June 5, 2023
- Resided in: North Liberty, IA
Mary J. “Jay” Turnbull
Mary J. “Jay” (Foster) Turnbull, 92, passed away Monday, June 5, 2023, at Keystone Place in North Liberty, Iowa. A celebration of Jay’s life will be held on Saturday, August 12, 2023 at Grace United Methodist Church, 3700 Cottage Grove, Des Moines, Iowa. Visitation will be from 11:00AM to 12:00PM with the funeral service at 12:00PM followed by a luncheon.
Jay was born on July 6, 1930, to LaMar Palmer Foster and Mary D. Thomason at their farm home near Centerdale, Iowa. The fourth of five children, she shared many joyful times with her brothers and sisters in rural Iowa. She graduated from West Branch High School in 1948 and attended the University of Iowa and Winona State Teachers College. At Iowa, Jay was a member of Delta Zeta sorority and later joined Delta Zeta Alumnae in Des Moines.
Jay met John E. (Buck) Turnbull at the University of Iowa where both were students; they celebrated their wedding day on August 25, 1951. Buck and Jay first located in Winona, Minnesota for a short time before moving to Des Moines where they raised their three sons Rick, Gary and Curt. Jay worked for Visiting Nurses of Des Moines part time for over 20 years. She was the oldest living 50 year charter member of Gwen Znerold #608 Questers International and was chapter president for 15 years. Jay was a member of Grace United Methodist Church for over 60 years and participated in her church’s Mary’s Circle. She was also a member of the Red Hat Society.
Jay was a loyal enthusiastic Hawkeye fan and enjoyed traveling to countless athletic events with her husband Buck who was a Des Moines Register sports writer. Jay was an avid reader, and she enjoyed collecting antiques especially ones of Santa Claus and floral china plates. She liked playing golf with Buck and watching Jeopardy. After Jay and Buck retired, they traveled in the U.S. and internationally. They were married for 65 years.
Jay is survived by sons Rick of Minneapolis and Curt (Leslie) of Las Vegas (three grandchildren), sister-in-law Sue Turnbull of Boston and many nieces and nephews. Preceding her in death were her parents, her husband Buck, her son Gary, two brothers and two sisters.
Jay’s niece Tracy Wolfe was her loving devoted caregiver during the last three years of her life.
The family would like to thank Keystone Place for the love and care they showered Jay with this last year. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Keystone Place at Forevergreen so a special item honoring Jay may be purchased for the memory care garden. Memorials may be sent to Jay’s niece Tracy Wolfe, 1360 Harvest St., North Liberty, IA 52317; on the memo line, please note in memory of Jay Turnbull. Memorials may also be directed to Grace UMC, 3700 Cottage Grove, Des Moines, IA 50311 or to the University of Iowa Foundation, P.O. Box 4550, Iowa City, IA.
Jay was born on July 6, 1930, to LaMar Palmer Foster and Mary D. Thomason at their farm home near Centerdale, Iowa. The fourth of five children, she shared many joyful times with her brothers and sisters in rural Iowa. She graduated from West Branch High School in 1948 and attended the University of Iowa and Winona State Teachers College. At Iowa, Jay was a member of Delta Zeta sorority and later joined Delta Zeta Alumnae in Des Moines.
Jay met John E. (Buck) Turnbull at the University of Iowa where both were students; they celebrated their wedding day on August 25, 1951. Buck and Jay first located in Winona, Minnesota for a short time before moving to Des Moines where they raised their three sons Rick, Gary and Curt. Jay worked for Visiting Nurses of Des Moines part time for over 20 years. She was the oldest living 50 year charter member of Gwen Znerold #608 Questers International and was chapter president for 15 years. Jay was a member of Grace United Methodist Church for over 60 years and participated in her church’s Mary’s Circle. She was also a member of the Red Hat Society.
Jay was a loyal enthusiastic Hawkeye fan and enjoyed traveling to countless athletic events with her husband Buck who was a Des Moines Register sports writer. Jay was an avid reader, and she enjoyed collecting antiques especially ones of Santa Claus and floral china plates. She liked playing golf with Buck and watching Jeopardy. After Jay and Buck retired, they traveled in the U.S. and internationally. They were married for 65 years.
Jay is survived by sons Rick of Minneapolis and Curt (Leslie) of Las Vegas (three grandchildren), sister-in-law Sue Turnbull of Boston and many nieces and nephews. Preceding her in death were her parents, her husband Buck, her son Gary, two brothers and two sisters.
Jay’s niece Tracy Wolfe was her loving devoted caregiver during the last three years of her life.
The family would like to thank Keystone Place for the love and care they showered Jay with this last year. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Keystone Place at Forevergreen so a special item honoring Jay may be purchased for the memory care garden. Memorials may be sent to Jay’s niece Tracy Wolfe, 1360 Harvest St., North Liberty, IA 52317; on the memo line, please note in memory of Jay Turnbull. Memorials may also be directed to Grace UMC, 3700 Cottage Grove, Des Moines, IA 50311 or to the University of Iowa Foundation, P.O. Box 4550, Iowa City, IA.
