Hallam W. Turton Jr., 90
GREAT BARRINGTON â€' Hallam W. "Turt" Turton Jr., 90, of Silver Street died Friday evening, Oct. 10, 2008, at Fairview Hospital.
Born in Bellows Falls, Vt., on Oct. 11, 1917, son of Hallam W. Turton Sr. and Marjorie Ellis Turton, he graduated from Bellow Falls High School in 1935 and, in 1941, from Northeastern University in Boston with a bachelor of science degree in business administration.
An Army veteran of World War II, he enlisted on April 28, 1942, and was assigned to the counterintelligence corps as a special agent with the rank of first lieutenant. He received the European theater ribbon with five bronze battle stars for participation in the campaigns of Normandy, Northern France, the Rhineland, the Ardennes and Central Europe. He was honorably discharged on Nov. 26, 1945.
Mr. Turton joined General Electric in Schenectady, N.Y., in March 1946 and worked for next 24 years as an office manager in its finance department, residing Evandale, Ohio, New York City, Phoenix and Philadelphia. In September 1970, he was transferred to Honeywell in Waltham and retired in March 1975.
He met his wife, the former Katherine Gass, while working at GE in Schenectady. They were wed on June 26, 1948.
After Mr. Turton's retirement, they resided in North Carolina for 15 years before moving to Housatonic in 1991 and to Ashley Falls in 1992, before settling on Silver Street in 2004.
He was a member of Old Parish Church in Sheffield and had been a deacon at Bernard Davidson River Presbyterian Church in North Carolina. He had also been an active member and volunteer of an AARP chapter, assisting people with their taxes and participating in a weekly hiking group. He had hiked into the Grand Canyon and out twice.
He was an avid golfer and belonged to the Egremont Country Club and Glen Cannon Country Club in North Carolina. He also enjoyed playing cards, especially poker, bridge and cribbage.
Besides his wife, he leaves three daughters, Linda Berger and her husband, Thomas, of Lindenhurst, Ill., Sandra Hunter of Lenox and Susan Reardon and her husband, Michael, of Plymouth, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
FUNERAL NOTICE â€' A service celebrating the life of Hallam "Turt" Turton will be conducted Tuesday, Oct. 14, at 1 from Finnerty and Stevens Funeral Home in Great Barrington by the Rev. Jill Graham, pastor Old Parish Church in Sheffield. A private family burial will be held at a later date.
The family will receive friends on Tuesday, Oct. 14, from noon until the time of the service.
Those who wish may make memorial contributions to Old Parish Church or to HospiceCare in the Berkshires through the funeral home, 426 Main St., Great Barrington, MA 01230. Remembrances, memories and reflections may be sent to the family through www.finnertyandstevens.com.