Bible Commentaries

Allan Turner

Thomas "Allan" Turner, born in 1944, led a diverse and impactful life until his passing in 2019. Graduating from a Tampa high school in 1962, he promptly enlisted in the U.S. Air Force during the tense "Cuban Missile Crisis." Serving as an air policeman at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi and Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan until 1966, Turner's early experiences instilled discipline and commitment.

Transitioning to civilian life, Turner joined the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office in Tampa as a patrol deputy. Remarkably, at the age of 23, he became the department's youngest detective, marking the beginning of a 12-year career in public law enforcement. Subsequently, Turner ventured into private investigation, lie-detection examination, and security consultation while remaining active in various Churches of Christ as a deacon and part-time evangelist.

In 1981, Turner commenced full-time preaching in Louisville, KY, igniting a fervent commitment to spreading the gospel across fourteen states and internationally in Great Britain, India, and Kenya. Immersed in East African life for four and a half years, Turner's missionary zeal flourished, culminating in extended preaching stints in North Carolina and Ohio.

His faith journey encountered a formidable trial in 2010 with a stage-4 large B-cell lymphoma diagnosis, complicated by heart issues necessitating open-heart surgery in 2011. Turner's resilience, encapsulated as his "Lazarus" experience, epitomized his unwavering faith and gratitude for each day's gift.

Settling in Roswell, GA, Turner served as an elder at the Alpharetta church of Christ, cherishing close proximity to his son's family on one side and his daughter's on the other. Allan Turner's life epitomized service, faith, and familial devotion, leaving an indelible legacy of resilience, dedication, and unwavering faith in the face of adversity.