Turner, Richard E., USAF

April 30, 1945 – December 24, 2017

Lenox – Richard E. Turner, 72, of Lenox died Sunday, December 24th at Berkshire Medical Center with his family by his side.

Born in Pittsfield, MA on April 30, 1945 to the late Earl Turner and Helen Fish Turner (living), he attended Lenox High School and was a 1963 graduate. After high school, Richard entered the Air Force working as a helicopter mechanic and crew chief and flew missions for Vietnam. In 1967 he received The Air Medal for helping with firefighting missions in Glacier National Park.

He and his wife, Sandra Lee Munsinger, were married on June 29, 1968. They moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma where he attended Spartan School of Aeronautics for airline service mechanic training. They then moved back to Massachusetts where he worked for Sprague Aviation as lead mechanic until 1978. He finished the rest of his career working in the paper machine service department for Lenox Machine (which changed hands to Beloit Corp, and GL&V) until he retired in 2013.

Besides his wife, Richard is survived by his five children: Stacy L. Martin (Bill) of Buchanan, MI, Michelle L. Turner of Pittsfield, MA, Sean R. Turner of Lenox, MA, Robert E. Turner (Dawn) of Pittsfield, MA, Jolene M. Bull (Steven) of Lee, MA; nine grandchildren: Alana, Cole, and Ryan Turner, Brittani, Robert Jr., and Spencer Turner, Dustin Martin, Tristan and Kylee Bull; and two sisters: Kathy Turner of Pittsfield, MA and Pamela Ballantine (Dan) of Peru, NY.

There will be a graveside service in Mountain View Cemetery in the spring at the convenience of the family. There will be no calling hours.

To share memories and stories please visit www.rochefuneralhome.com. Published by The Berkshire Eagle on Dec. 30, 2017.